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 463.2 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 2008 retail trade was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $26,469. Per capita income grew by 12.9% 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)	265,108	238	Covered Employment	69,855	357
Growth (%) since 1990	76.5%	131	Avg wage per job	$34,848	916
Households (2000)	76,933	277	Manufacturing - % all jobs in County	3.7%	2405
Labor Force (persons) (2008)	123,438	260	Avg wage per job	$37,980	1488
Unemployment Rate (2008)	8.8	248	Transportation & Warehousing - % all jobs in County	0.6%	2686
Per Capita Personal Income (2007)	$28,056	1771	Avg wage per job	$55,285	101
Median Household Income (2007)	$46,127	905	Health Care, Social Assist. - % all jobs in County	12.8%	776
Poverty Rate (2007)	10.8	2332	Avg wage per job	$39,132	563
H.S. Diploma or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	77.7	1,760	Finance and Insurance - % all jobs in County	3.2%	827
Bachelor's Deg. or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	15.1	1,438	Avg wage per job	$44,284	698