Inyo County is a county located in east-central California, United States, on the east side of the Sierra Nevada south of Yosemite National Park. As of 2000 the county had a population of 17,945. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County was formed in 1866 from parts of Mono and Tulare Counties. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 26,488 km² (10,227 mi²). 26,426 km² (10,203 mi²) of it is land and 62 km² (24 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.23% water. As of the census2 of 2000, there were 17,945 people, 7,703 households, and 4,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 1/km² (2/mi²). There were 9,042 housing units at an average density of 0/km² (1/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.06% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 10.04% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 4.60% from other races, and 4.15% from two or more races. 12.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.