St. Lucie County is one of about 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the United States. It has 572.4 sq. miles in land area and a population density of 455.9 per square mile. In the last three decades of the 1900s its population grew by 279.1%. On the 2000 census form, 98.2% of the population reported only one race, with 15.4% of these reporting African-American. The population of this county is 8.2% Hispanic (of any race). The average household size is 2.47 persons compared to an average family size of 2.89 persons. In 2006 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $25,901. Per capita income grew by 15.4% between 1996 and 2006 (adjusted for inflation).

People & Income Overview (By Place of Residence)	Value	Rank in U.S.	Industry Overview (2006) (By Place of Work)	Value	Rank in U.S.
Population (2007)	260,939	240	Covered Employment	70,280	349
Growth (%) since 1990	73.8%	129	Avg wage per job	$33,814	713
Households (2000)	76,933	277	Manufacturing - % all jobs in County	4.9%	2305
Labor Force (persons) (2007)	120,570	261	Avg wage per job	$35,748	1467
Unemployment Rate (2007)	5.8	688	Transportation & Warehousing - % all jobs in County	0.5%	2834
Per Capita Personal Income (2006)	$27,540	1518	Avg wage per job	$57,568	41
Median Household Income (2005)	$42,048	925	Health Care, Social Assist. - % all jobs in County	11.7%	849
Poverty Rate (2005)	12.3	1987	Avg wage per job	$37,941	448
H.S. Diploma or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	77.7	1,760	Finance and Insurance - % all jobs in County	4.1%	426
Bachelor's Deg. or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	15.1	1,438	Avg wage per job	$43,127	624