At the 2000 census, there were 40,458 people, 16,530 households and 11,174 families living in the county. The population density was 29/; (75/sq mi). There were 20,158 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.99% White, 0.24% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.9% were of English, 14.7% French, 11.7% French Canadian, 10.7% American, 10.0% Irish, 6.2% German and 5.1% Italian ancestry. 96.1% spoke English and 1.6% French as their first language.