As of the census of 2000, there were 15,822 people, 6,564 households, and 4,417 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km2). There were 9,574 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.22% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.4% were of German, 6.5% Norwegian, 5.9% Swedish, 5.4% Polish, 5.2% Irish and 5.0% Czech ancestry.