As of the 2000 census, there were 37,816 people, 14,331 households, and 8,415 families in the county. The population density was 86.7/sqmi (33.5/km2). There were 12,062 housing units at an average density of 27.7/sqmi (10.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.0% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0..5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 1.6% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.3% were of German, 21.3% Swedish, 12.7% Norwegian and 5.1% Irish ancestry.