Newton County is one of about 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the United States. It has 401.8 sq. miles in land area and a population density of 34.7 per square mile. In the last three decades of the 1900s its population grew by 25.5%. On the 2000 census form, 99.2% of the population reported only one race, with 0.2% of these reporting African-American. The population of this county is 2.9% Hispanic (of any race). The average household size is 2.69 persons compared to an average family size of 3.12 persons. In 2008 manufacturing was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $31,780. Per capita income grew by 8.1% 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)	13,933	2157	Covered Employment	3,864	2197
Growth (%) since 1990	2.8%	2029	Avg wage per job	$30,981	1676
Households (2000)	5,340	2161	Manufacturing - % all jobs in County	22.4%	510
Labor Force (persons) (2008)	7,024	2114	Avg wage per job	$31,780	2166
Unemployment Rate (2008)	6.2	1151	Transportation & Warehousing - % all jobs in County	0.9%	2357
Per Capita Personal Income (2007)	$28,576	1651	Avg wage per job	$34,171	2376
Median Household Income (2007)	$45,107	991	Health Care, Social Assist. - % all jobs in County	D	N/A
Poverty Rate (2007)	9.3	2652	Avg wage per job	D	N/A
H.S. Diploma or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	78.7	1,647	Finance and Insurance - % all jobs in County	3.0%	979
Bachelor's Deg. or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	9.6	2,762	Avg wage per job	$39,012	1234