Mills County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 TheMills County Courthouse in Glenwood | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIowa | |
| Coordinates:41°01′59″N95°37′08″W / 41.033055555556°N 95.618888888889°W /41.033055555556; -95.618888888889 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Seat | Glenwood |
| Largest city | Glenwood |
| Area | |
• Total | 441 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
| • Land | 437 sq mi (1,130 km2) |
| • Water | 3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2) 0.7% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,484 |
• Estimate (2024) | 14,717 |
| • Density | 33.1/sq mi (12.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
| |
Mills County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIowa. As of the2020 census, the population was 14,484.[2] Thecounty seat isGlenwood.[3] The county was formed in 1851 and named for Major Frederick Mills ofBurlington, Iowa, who was killed at theBattle of Churubusco during theMexican–American War.[4]
Mills County is included in theOmaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area.[5]
The future county's first permanent settlement was Rushville, founded in 1846 by persecuted members ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they were being driven out ofNauvoo, Illinois. This is not to be confused with the state's present-dayRushville inJasper County. A nearby settlement, also founded by the Mormon settlers, was called Coonsville after Dr. Liberius Coons, one of the first arrivals. That settlement continued after the Mormonsmoved on; its name was changed toGlenwood in 1853.
In Glenwood, the first courthouse was a small frame building which served until 1857. It was replaced by a two-story building, which was enlarged in the 1900s and received a clock tower in 1910. In 1959 this building was replaced with the present building, dedicated on August 29, 1959.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 441 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 437 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) (0.7%) is water.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 4,481 | — | |
| 1870 | 8,718 | 94.6% | |
| 1880 | 14,137 | 62.2% | |
| 1890 | 14,548 | 2.9% | |
| 1900 | 16,764 | 15.2% | |
| 1910 | 15,811 | −5.7% | |
| 1920 | 15,422 | −2.5% | |
| 1930 | 15,866 | 2.9% | |
| 1940 | 15,064 | −5.1% | |
| 1950 | 14,064 | −6.6% | |
| 1960 | 13,050 | −7.2% | |
| 1970 | 11,832 | −9.3% | |
| 1980 | 13,406 | 13.3% | |
| 1990 | 13,202 | −1.5% | |
| 2000 | 14,547 | 10.2% | |
| 2010 | 15,059 | 3.5% | |
| 2020 | 14,484 | −3.8% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 14,717 | [8] | 1.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2020[13] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 14,484 and a population density of32.9/sq mi (12.7/km2).[14][15]
The median age was 43.1 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.8 males age 18 and over.[14]
According to the 2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data, 95.16% of the population reported being of one race while 5.63% reported being some other race or more than one race. Of the single-race responses, 90.05% were non-Hispanic White, 0.53% were Black or African American, 0.21% were Native American, 0.33% were Asian, and 0.07% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Including multiple-race and other-race residents, the total composition was 93.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.8% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population.[15]
34.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 65.4% lived in rural areas.[16]
There were 5,512 households in the county, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.3% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of the county's 6,110 housing units, 5,512 were occupied (9.8% vacant). Among occupied housing units, 80.6% were owner-occupied and 19.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.[14]
As of the2010 census recorded a population of 15,059 in the county, with a population density of34.5/sq mi (13.3/km2). There were 6,109 housing units, of which 5,605 were occupied.[17]
As of the2000 census, there were 14,547 people, 5,324 households, and 3,939 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 33 people per square mile (13 people/km2). There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.97%White, 0.28%Black orAfrican American, 0.27%Native American, 0.29%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.36% fromother races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 5,324 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% weremarried couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 25.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,428, and the median income for a family was $49,592. Males had a median income of $31,721 versus $24,938 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,736. About 5.80% of families and 8.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2020 census of Mills County.[2]
†county seat
| Rank | City/town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | †Glenwood | City | 5,073 |
| 2 | Malvern | City | 1,046 |
| 3 | Emerson | City | 403 |
| 4 | Silver City | City | 245 |
| 5 | Mineola | CDP | 154 |
| 6 | Hastings | City | 152 |
| 7 | Henderson | City | 144 |
| 8 | Pacific Junction | City | 96 |
| 9 | Tabor (mostly inFremont County) | City | 86 (1,014 total) |
The first Mills County Sheriff was W.W. Noyes[18] who was appointed by the Iowa General Assembly on August 1, 1851. He was succeeded by James Hardy who served as the first elected sheriff of the county and assumed the office on August 31, 1851.
The current sheriff of Mills County is interim sheriff Joshua England. He and his 11 full-time deputies patrol approximately 447 square miles in the county. The Mills County Sheriff's Office provides police services under contract for all of the towns and cities and Mills County except for theCity of Glenwood which has its own police department.[citation needed]
Mills County is one of the most consistently Republican counties in Iowa. It has backed the Republican in all but five elections in its history, its inaugural election in 1852 prior to the founding of the Republican Party, in 1912 when former Republican turnedProgressiveTheodore Roosevelt caused a split in the vote, allowing DemocratWoodrow Wilson to take the county with a sub-40% plurality, in the two landslide victories forFranklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and forLyndon B. Johnson in his 1964 landslide, who even then barely took Mills County by only 39 votes and less than 1%.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 2,153 | 51.93% | 1,958 | 47.23% | 35 | 0.84% |
| 1900 | 2,212 | 55.00% | 1,733 | 43.09% | 77 | 1.91% |
| 1904 | 2,252 | 61.06% | 1,274 | 34.54% | 162 | 4.39% |
| 1908 | 1,959 | 55.01% | 1,522 | 42.74% | 80 | 2.25% |
| 1912 | 850 | 25.41% | 1,312 | 39.22% | 1,183 | 35.37% |
| 1916 | 1,707 | 50.58% | 1,600 | 47.41% | 68 | 2.01% |
| 1920 | 3,683 | 69.00% | 1,592 | 29.82% | 63 | 1.18% |
| 1924 | 3,348 | 57.38% | 1,750 | 29.99% | 737 | 12.63% |
| 1928 | 3,429 | 60.86% | 2,179 | 38.68% | 26 | 0.46% |
| 1932 | 2,420 | 38.07% | 3,861 | 60.75% | 75 | 1.18% |
| 1936 | 3,424 | 48.40% | 3,610 | 51.02% | 41 | 0.58% |
| 1940 | 3,873 | 57.39% | 2,862 | 42.41% | 14 | 0.21% |
| 1944 | 3,288 | 60.65% | 2,106 | 38.85% | 27 | 0.50% |
| 1948 | 2,921 | 57.20% | 2,155 | 42.20% | 31 | 0.61% |
| 1952 | 4,028 | 69.04% | 1,792 | 30.72% | 14 | 0.24% |
| 1956 | 3,539 | 64.89% | 1,897 | 34.78% | 18 | 0.33% |
| 1960 | 3,436 | 65.37% | 1,820 | 34.63% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,424 | 49.58% | 2,463 | 50.38% | 2 | 0.04% |
| 1968 | 2,916 | 62.41% | 1,216 | 26.03% | 540 | 11.56% |
| 1972 | 3,531 | 74.94% | 1,060 | 22.50% | 121 | 2.57% |
| 1976 | 2,722 | 57.79% | 1,908 | 40.51% | 80 | 1.70% |
| 1980 | 3,581 | 69.09% | 1,244 | 24.00% | 358 | 6.91% |
| 1984 | 3,994 | 72.80% | 1,434 | 26.14% | 58 | 1.06% |
| 1988 | 3,212 | 59.82% | 2,092 | 38.96% | 65 | 1.21% |
| 1992 | 2,699 | 43.77% | 1,798 | 29.16% | 1,669 | 27.07% |
| 1996 | 2,958 | 51.25% | 2,068 | 35.83% | 746 | 12.92% |
| 2000 | 3,684 | 62.28% | 2,039 | 34.47% | 192 | 3.25% |
| 2004 | 4,556 | 65.65% | 2,308 | 33.26% | 76 | 1.10% |
| 2008 | 4,183 | 57.44% | 2,976 | 40.86% | 124 | 1.70% |
| 2012 | 4,216 | 58.46% | 2,848 | 39.49% | 148 | 2.05% |
| 2016 | 5,067 | 65.82% | 2,090 | 27.15% | 541 | 7.03% |
| 2020 | 5,585 | 67.55% | 2,508 | 30.33% | 175 | 2.12% |
| 2024 | 5,671 | 68.71% | 2,456 | 29.76% | 126 | 1.53% |
The board of supervisors is elected according to Plan One of the 1984 Code of Iowa, Chapter 331.208. It is composed of three members elected at large. Vacancies in the board of supervisors are filled by appointment made by the county auditor, county recorder, and the clerk of district court.
There are two open seats on the Mills County Board of Supervisors that will be elected in the November 2024 General Election. Primary Vote Count[20]
| Name | Party affiliation | Primary votes |
|---|---|---|
| Jack A. Sayers | Republican | 890 |
| Lonnie Mayberry (Incumbent) | Republican | 777 |
| Bruce Wray | Democrat | 30 |
DeShawne Bird-Sell is the current Mills County, IA county attorney. Their term ends in 2026.
Ami Petersen is the current Mills County, IA county auditor. Their term ends in 2024
| Name | Party affiliation | Primary votes |
|---|---|---|
| Amber Farnan | Republican | 814 |
Lu Anne Christiansen is the current Mills County, IA county reporter. Their term ends in 2026.
Josh England is the current Mills County, IA sheriff. Their term ends in 2024.
| Name | Party affiliation | Primary votes |
|---|---|---|
| Greg Schultz | Republican | 1,345 |
Jill Ford is the current Mills County, IA county treasurer. Their term ends in 2026.
Places adjacent to Mills County, Iowa | |
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Municipalities and communities ofMills County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Townships | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Anderson Township | | |
|---|---|---|
| Glenwood | ||
| Oak Township | ||
| Plattville Township | ||
Metropolitan area ofOmaha–Council Bluffs | ||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
41°01′59″N95°37′08″W / 41.03306°N 95.61889°W /41.03306; -95.61889
