Ventura County is a county located on the U.S. state of California's Pacific coast, just northwest of Los Angeles. As of 2000 it had a population of 753,197. Its county seat is Ventura. This county is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area.
Channel Islands National Park is located in the county.
History
Ventura County was formed from parts of Santa Barbara County in 1872.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5,719 km² (2,208 mi²). 4,779 km² (1,845 mi²) of it is land and 940 km² (363 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 16.43% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 753,197 people, 243,234 households, and 182,911 families residing in the county. The population density is 158/km² (408/mi²). There are 251,712 housing units at an average density of 53/km² (136/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 69.93% White, 1.95% Black or African American, 0.94% Native American, 5.35% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 17.68% from other races, and 3.93% from two or more races. 33.42% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 243,234 households out of which 39.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% are married couples living together, 10.90% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.80% are non-families. 18.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.04 and the average family size is 3.46.
In the county the population is spread out with 28.40% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $59,666, and the median income for a family is $65,285. Males have a median income of $45,310 versus $32,216 for females. The per capita income for the county is $24,600. 9.20% of the population and 6.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 11.60% are under the age of 18 and 6.30% are 65 or older.
