Sioux County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 Sioux County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIowa | |
| Coordinates:43°04′53″N96°10′46″W / 43.0814°N 96.1794°W /43.0814; -96.1794 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Named after | Sioux people |
| Seat | Orange City |
| Largest city | Sioux Center |
| Area | |
• Total | 769 sq mi (1,990 km2) |
| • Land | 768 sq mi (1,990 km2) |
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km2) 0.09% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 35,872 |
• Estimate (2024) | 36,554 |
| • Density | 46.7/sq mi (18.0/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | siouxcountyia |
Sioux County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIowa. As of the2020 census, the population was 35,872.[1] Itscounty seat isOrange City.[2] Its largest city isSioux Center.
Sioux County was formed on January 15, 1851. It has been self-governed since January 20, 1860. It was named after theSioux tribe.[3]
The first county seat wasCalliope in 1860, then a small village with 15 inhabitants, and later part ofHawarden. The first courthouse was built in 1860 and served as such until 1872. A larger immigration wave began in 1869, primarily of Dutch. In 1872,Orange City was declared the seat. In June 1902, the construction began on a newSioux County courthouse designed by W.W. Beach. Made of redsandstone, it was completed in 1904, and still serves as the courthouse. From 1976 until 1982 the building was completely restored, and in 1977, it was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 769 square miles (1,990 km2), of which 768 square miles (1,990 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (0.09%) is water.[4]
Western Sioux County drains to the south west to theRock River or theBig Sioux River. Eastern Sioux County drains to the south east to theFloyd River.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 10 | — | |
| 1870 | 576 | 5,660.0% | |
| 1880 | 5,426 | 842.0% | |
| 1890 | 18,370 | 238.6% | |
| 1900 | 23,337 | 27.0% | |
| 1910 | 25,248 | 8.2% | |
| 1920 | 26,458 | 4.8% | |
| 1930 | 26,806 | 1.3% | |
| 1940 | 27,209 | 1.5% | |
| 1950 | 26,381 | −3.0% | |
| 1960 | 26,375 | 0.0% | |
| 1970 | 27,996 | 6.1% | |
| 1980 | 30,813 | 10.1% | |
| 1990 | 29,903 | −3.0% | |
| 2000 | 31,589 | 5.6% | |
| 2010 | 33,704 | 6.7% | |
| 2020 | 35,872 | 6.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 36,554 | [5] | 1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2018[10] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 35,872 and a population density of46.7/sq mi (18.0/km2). 93.74% of the population reported being of one race. There were 13,000 housing units, of which 12,202 were occupied, leaving a 6.1% vacancy rate; 79.6% of occupied units were owner-occupied and 20.4% were renter-occupied, with homeowner and rental vacancy rates of 1.8% and 8.6%, respectively.[11]
The median age was 33.4 years, 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.5 males age 18 and over.[11]
The racial makeup of the county was 85.7%White, 0.5%Black or African American, 0.6%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 6.2% from some other race, and 6.3% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.7% of the population.[12]
43.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 56.6% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 12,202 households in the county, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 64.9% were married-couple households, 14.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
The most reported ancestries wereDutch (39.8%),German (19.1%),Mexican (9.8%),English (8.8%),Irish (5%), andNorwegian (2.4%).[14]
| Race(NH = Non-Hispanic) | % 2020[15] | % 2010[16] | % 2000[17] | Pop 2020 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 83.4% | 89.3% | 96.2% | 29,919 | 30,090 | 30,374 |
| Black alone (NH) | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 184 | 104 | 57 |
| American Indian alone (NH) | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 87 | 48 | 37 |
| Asian alone (NH) | 0.6% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 219 | 264 | 185 |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0.1% | 0% | 0% | 42 | 4 | 6 |
| Multiracial (NH) | 1.4% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 502 | 190 | 119 |
| Hispanic/Latino (any race) | 13.7% | 8.9% | 2.6% | 4,914 | 3,001 | 808 |
The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,704 in the county, with a population density of43.9/sq mi (16.9/km2). There were 12,279 housing units, of which 11,584 were occupied.[18]
As of thecensus[19] of 2000, there were 31,589 people, 10,693 households, and 8,062 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 41 people per square mile (16 people/km2). There were 11,260 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.33%White, 0.20%Black orAfrican American, 0.13%Native American, 0.59%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 1.20% fromother races, and 0.53% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 10,693 households, out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.40% weremarried couples living together, 4.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.10% under the age of 18, 15.20% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,536, and the median income for a family was $45,846. Males had a median income of $31,548 versus $19,963 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $16,532. About 4.60% of families and 6.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.90% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.
At one time divorce was relatively uncommon. In 1980, 52 married people in the county existed per divorced person; this rate did not exist in the total United States since the 1930s.[20] As of 2011[update], this changed to 14 married persons per divorced person.[20]
As of 2011[update], 80% of the county residents belong to major denominational churches, compared to 36% of the total U.S. population.[20]
Sioux County is the home to two four-year liberal arts colleges;Northwestern College in Orange City andDordt University in Sioux Center. Both of these schools have enrollments over 1,000.Northwest Iowa Community College is also in Sioux County, though it is most often associated with the community of Sheldon in O'Brien County.
Due to its religiousDutch Reformed character, Sioux County is overwhelmingly Republican in Presidential elections.[21] The only Democratic presidential nominee to ever carry Sioux County since the Civil War has beenFranklin D. Roosevelt, who did so in 1932 and 1936;[22] however,Theodore Roosevelt won the county as a Progressive in 1912 andGeorge B. McClellan carried the county in the wartime 1864 election. The Democrats have only garnered 40 percent of the county's vote once since Roosevelt. Further underlining the county's heavy Republican bent, in 1964 it was one of only seven counties in the state to supportBarry Goldwater, who easily carried the county with almost 66 percent of the vote–a near-reversal ofLyndon Johnson's statewide margin. In addition, in 2008, whenBarack Obama carried Iowa by 9.5 points, Sioux County was his weakest of all 99 counties in the state, withJohn McCain winning the county by 62 points.[23] By 2020, the county at 66.5 point margin wasJoe Biden's second-weakest county in Iowa, being overtaken by almost as equally Republican neighboring Lyon County at 67.5 points.[24]
In 1992, Sioux County was one of only two counties in the nation, along withJackson County, Kentucky, to giveGeorge H. W. Bush over seventy percent of its vote.[25] In the six elections since then, the Republican candidates has never received less than 75 percent of the county's vote.[26] It is located in what was, until 2013,Iowa's 5th congressional district which had aCook Partisan Voting Index of R+9 and was represented by RepublicanSteve King. King won the seat in Iowa's new4th congressional district in the 2012 election[27] with 53% of the district's vote, and with 83% of Sioux County votes going for King.[28]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 2,841 | 59.02% | 1,898 | 39.43% | 75 | 1.56% |
| 1900 | 3,025 | 61.70% | 1,809 | 36.90% | 69 | 1.41% |
| 1904 | 2,992 | 70.83% | 1,151 | 27.25% | 81 | 1.92% |
| 1908 | 2,697 | 58.10% | 1,891 | 40.74% | 54 | 1.16% |
| 1912 | 575 | 12.33% | 1,453 | 31.15% | 2,636 | 56.52% |
| 1916 | 2,261 | 51.89% | 2,049 | 47.03% | 47 | 1.08% |
| 1920 | 6,068 | 79.29% | 1,510 | 19.73% | 75 | 0.98% |
| 1924 | 4,960 | 58.91% | 900 | 10.69% | 2,560 | 30.40% |
| 1928 | 6,378 | 68.97% | 2,839 | 30.70% | 31 | 0.34% |
| 1932 | 3,943 | 38.65% | 6,170 | 60.48% | 89 | 0.87% |
| 1936 | 4,543 | 42.58% | 5,553 | 52.05% | 573 | 5.37% |
| 1940 | 7,585 | 64.55% | 4,144 | 35.27% | 21 | 0.18% |
| 1944 | 6,552 | 65.92% | 3,369 | 33.89% | 19 | 0.19% |
| 1948 | 5,597 | 57.11% | 4,042 | 41.24% | 162 | 1.65% |
| 1952 | 10,275 | 83.21% | 2,050 | 16.60% | 24 | 0.19% |
| 1956 | 9,651 | 78.29% | 2,666 | 21.63% | 11 | 0.09% |
| 1960 | 10,284 | 79.51% | 2,643 | 20.43% | 7 | 0.05% |
| 1964 | 8,078 | 65.55% | 4,233 | 34.35% | 12 | 0.10% |
| 1968 | 10,010 | 80.04% | 2,181 | 17.44% | 316 | 2.53% |
| 1972 | 10,721 | 78.27% | 2,867 | 20.93% | 109 | 0.80% |
| 1976 | 9,448 | 73.04% | 3,322 | 25.68% | 165 | 1.28% |
| 1980 | 10,768 | 76.01% | 2,698 | 19.04% | 701 | 4.95% |
| 1984 | 11,665 | 81.61% | 2,585 | 18.09% | 43 | 0.30% |
| 1988 | 10,270 | 77.29% | 2,923 | 22.00% | 95 | 0.71% |
| 1992 | 10,637 | 72.21% | 2,226 | 15.11% | 1,867 | 12.67% |
| 1996 | 10,864 | 77.00% | 2,392 | 16.95% | 854 | 6.05% |
| 2000 | 12,241 | 83.32% | 2,148 | 14.62% | 303 | 2.06% |
| 2004 | 14,229 | 85.87% | 2,259 | 13.63% | 82 | 0.49% |
| 2008 | 13,490 | 80.95% | 3,030 | 18.18% | 145 | 0.87% |
| 2012 | 14,407 | 83.24% | 2,700 | 15.60% | 201 | 1.16% |
| 2016 | 14,785 | 81.26% | 2,300 | 12.64% | 1,109 | 6.10% |
| 2020 | 15,680 | 82.31% | 3,019 | 15.85% | 352 | 1.85% |
| 2024 | 16,053 | 84.49% | 2,626 | 13.82% | 322 | 1.69% |
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2020 census of Sioux County.[1]
†county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Center | City | 8,229 |
| 2 | †Orange City | City | 6,267 |
| 3 | Rock Valley | City | 4,059 |
| 4 | Hawarden | City | 2,700 |
| 5 | Hull | City | 2,384 |
| 6 | Alton | City | 1,248 |
| 7 | Hospers | City | 718 |
| 8 | Boyden | City | 701 |
| 9 | Ireton | City | 590 |
| 10 | Granville | City | 310 |
| 11 | Maurice | City | 265 |
| 12 | Sheldon (mostly inO'Brien) | City | 261 (5,512 total) |
| 13 | Chatsworth | City | 75 |
| 14 | Matlock | City | 74 |
Places adjacent to Sioux County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofSioux County, Iowa,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
43°04′53″N96°10′46″W / 43.08139°N 96.17944°W /43.08139; -96.17944
