As of 2000, there were 57,930 people, 23,910 households, and 16,953 families residing in Henry County. The population density was 152 people per square mile (58/km2). The racial makeup of the County was 73% White, 23% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, with 3.5% of the population being Hispanic or Latino. In the County, the population has evenly dispersed, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years and for every 100 females, there were 95.1 males.

There were 15, 416 people, 6, 498 households, and 4,022 families residing in the City of Martinsville. The population density was 1,407.1 people per square mile (543.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 54.2% White, 42.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, with 2.3% of the population being Latino or Hispanic.

In Henry County there were 23,910 households out of which; 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.4 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median income for a household in Henry County was $31,816, and the median income for a family was $38,649. Males had a median income of $26,660 versus $20,766 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,110 with about 8.8% of families and 11.7% of the population being below the poverty line. 15.2% of these were under the age of 18 and 12.6% were 65 or older.

In Martinsville there were 6,498 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 38.1% were non-families. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,441, and the median income for a family was $35,321. Males had a median income of $28,530 versus $21,367 for females. The per capita income for residents of the City was $17,251. In 2000, about 14.0% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those aged 65 or older.

Source: United States Census of 2000