According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 597 km² (231 mi²). 541 km² (209 mi²) of it is land and 56 km² (22 mi²) of it (9.37%) is water. About 11 mi² of the county is separated from the rest of the state by the Mississippi River, requiring travelers to cross into Tennessee to reach the Kentucky Bendexclave.
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,752 people, 3,237 households, and 2,113 families residing in the county. The population density was 14/km² (37/mi²). There were 3,697 housing units at an average density of 7/km² (18/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.12% White, 23.19% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,237 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.40% were married couples living together, 18.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.70% were non-families. 32.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 87.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,382, and the median income for a family was $30,788. Males had a median income of $26,401 versus $19,549 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,309. About 20.10% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.30% of those under age 18 and 16.00% of those age 65 or over.
