Okeechobee County is one of about 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the United States. It has 773.9 sq. miles in land area and a population density of 52.2 per square mile. In the last three decades of the 1900s its population grew by 219.7%. On the 2000 census form, 98.0% of the population reported only one race, with 7.9% of these reporting African-American. The population of this county is 18.6% Hispanic (of any race). The average household size is 2.69 persons compared to an average family size of 3.07 persons. In 2008 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $23,597. Per capita income grew by 14.1% between 1997 and 2007 (adjusted for inflation).

People & Income Overview (By Place of Residence)	Value	Rank in U.S.	Industry Overview (2008) (By Place of Work)	Value	Rank in U.S.
Population (2008)	40,359	1158	Covered Employment	10,419	1398
Growth (%) since 1990	36.2%	513	Avg wage per job	$30,279	1842
Households (2000)	12,593	1307	Manufacturing - % all jobs in County	2.5%	2566
Labor Force (persons) (2008)	17,953	1246	Avg wage per job	$36,035	1686
Unemployment Rate (2008)	8.0	406	Transportation & Warehousing - % all jobs in County	3.7%	811
Per Capita Personal Income (2007)	$23,784	2642	Avg wage per job	$38,739	1509
Median Household Income (2007)	$36,989	2132	Health Care, Social Assist. - % all jobs in County	D	N/A
Poverty Rate (2007)	16.4	1085	Avg wage per job	D	N/A
H.S. Diploma or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	65.1	2,827	Finance and Insurance - % all jobs in County	2.0%	2048
Bachelor's Deg. or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	8.9	2,892	Avg wage per job	$37,103	1539