The problem asks to find the population density of a rural county. The population of the county is 17,499 and the total land area of the county is 1425 square miles. The population density is defined as population divided by area.

1. Problem Description

The problem asks to find the population density of a rural county. The population of the county is 17,499 and the total land area of the county is 1425 square miles. The population density is defined as population divided by area.

2. Solution Steps

The population density is given by the formula:

$Population Density = \frac{Population}{Area}$

We are given that the population is 17,499 and the area is 1425 square miles. Therefore, we can calculate the population density as follows:

$Population Density = \frac{17499}{1425}$

$Population Density \approx 12.28$

3. Final Answer

The population density of the county is approximately 12.28 people per square mile.