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McCracken County is a county located in the western end of the U.S. State of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 65,514. The largest city in the county is Paducah. There is some dispute about the naming of the city. According to one popular story, Paducah was named after Chief Paduke . Many historians dispute the existence of Chief Paduke, however; they note that Paducah is similar to the word that the Chickasaw Indians, who lived in the region at the time of European settlement, used to refer to themselves. Its county seat is Paducah 6.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 694 km˛ (268 mi˛). 650 km˛ (251 mi˛) of it is land and 44 km˛ (17 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 6.36% water.
As of the census 2 of 2000, there are 65,514 people, 27,736 households, and 18,444 families residing in the county. The population density is 101/km˛ (261/mi˛). There are 30,361 housing units at an average density of 47/km˛ (121/mi˛). The racial makeup of the county is 86.76% White, 10.88% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 27,736 households out of which 29.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.10% are married couples living together, 12.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% are non-families. 29.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.86.
In the county the population is spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 90.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $33,865, and the median income for a family is $42,513. Males have a median income of $36,417 versus $22,704 for females. The per capita income for the county is $19,533. 15.10% of the population and 11.40% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.90% of those under the age of 18 and 12.30% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.