Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. State of Ohio. As of 2000, the population is 70,226. Its county seat is St. Clairsville6.
\nAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,402 km² (541 mi²). 1,392 km² (537 mi²) of it is land and 10 km² (4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.75% water.
\nAs of the census2 of 2000, there are 70,226 people, 28,309 households, and 19,250 families residing in the county. The population density is 50/km² (131/mi²). There are 31,236 housing units at an average density of 22/km² (58/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 94.98% White, 3.64% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 28,309 households out of which 28.30% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% are married couples living together, 11.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% are non-families. 28.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.10% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 2.90. In the county the population is spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county is $29,714, and the median income for a family is $37,538. Males have a median income of $31,211 versus $19,890 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,221. 14.60% of the population and 11.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 20.40% are under the age of 18 and 9.80% are 65 or older.