Washington County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 Washington County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIowa | |
| Coordinates:41°20′05″N91°43′11″W / 41.334722222222°N 91.719722222222°W /41.334722222222; -91.719722222222 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | January 18, 1838 |
| Named after | George Washington |
| Seat | Washington |
| Largest city | Washington |
| Area | |
• Total | 571 sq mi (1,480 km2) |
| • Land | 569 sq mi (1,470 km2) |
| • Water | 2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 22,565 |
• Estimate (2024)[1] | 22,631 |
| • Density | 39.8/sq mi (15.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | washingtoncounty |
Washington County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIowa. As of the2020 census, the population was 22,565.[2] Thecounty seat isWashington.[3] Washington County is included in theIowa City metropolitan area.[4]
Washington County was originally formed in 1838 as Slaughter County in honor ofWilliam B. Slaughter, the secretary ofWisconsin Territory.[5] The county, still named Slaughter County, became part ofIowa Territory on July 4, 1838, when it was organized. To honorGeorge Washington, the county opted to change its name on January 25, 1839.[6][7] The firstWhite American colonizers arrived in Washington County in 1835, and began establishing individual domiciles in 1836. A settlement, Astoria, was built in the present township of Oregon; it became the first county seat and housed the first court house. The county seat was moved to the city of Washington in 1839.[8]
The first religious society, organized by Reverend J.L. Kirkpatrick, a Methodist minister was created in 1839.[8] The first newspaper was established in 1853; it was published for two years. In 1856 another newspaper started up; it has continued to the present.[9] The major waterways through Washington County are theSkunk andEnglish Rivers, andCrooked Creek. Timber is found in abundance around these waterways, which has allowed a timber industry to grow up.[8] In 1855 Washington hosted the county's first bank. The county population swelled after 1858, when a railway line belonging to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was laid there.[9]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.4%) is water.[10]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 4,957 | — | |
| 1860 | 14,235 | 187.2% | |
| 1870 | 18,952 | 33.1% | |
| 1880 | 20,374 | 7.5% | |
| 1890 | 18,468 | −9.4% | |
| 1900 | 20,718 | 12.2% | |
| 1910 | 19,925 | −3.8% | |
| 1920 | 20,421 | 2.5% | |
| 1930 | 19,822 | −2.9% | |
| 1940 | 20,055 | 1.2% | |
| 1950 | 19,557 | −2.5% | |
| 1960 | 19,406 | −0.8% | |
| 1970 | 18,967 | −2.3% | |
| 1980 | 20,141 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 19,612 | −2.6% | |
| 2000 | 20,670 | 5.4% | |
| 2010 | 21,704 | 5.0% | |
| 2020 | 22,565 | 4.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 22,631 | [11] | 0.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010-2018[16][17][1] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 22,565 and a population density of39.5/sq mi (15.2/km2). The median age was 41.1 years, 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18, and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.6 males age 18 and over.[18]
95.31% of the population reported being of a single race. The racial makeup of the county was 90.3%White, 0.8%Black or African American, 0.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 4.7% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.1% of the population.[19]
30.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 69.7% lived in rural areas.[20]
There were 8,916 households in the county, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.0% were married-couple households, 17.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[18]
There were 9,573 housing units, of which 6.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.5% were owner-occupied and 24.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.[18]
The 2010 census recorded a population of 21,704 in the county, with a population density of38.2/sq mi (14.7/km2). There were 9,516 housing units, of which 8,741 were occupied.[21]
As of thecensus[22] of 2000, there were 20,670 people, 8,056 households, and 5,631 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 36 inhabitants per square mile (14/km2). There were 8,543 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (5.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.04%White, 0.29%Black orAfrican American, 0.19%Native American, 0.25%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 1.51% fromother races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 2.73% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 8,056 households, out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% weremarried couples living together, 6.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.10% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,103, and the median income for a family was $45,636. Males had a median income of $29,592 versus $22,818 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $18,221. About 5.10% of families and 7.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.30% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over.
The county is served by 3 school districts[23]
Highland Community School District includes:[24]
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2020 census of Washington County.[2]
†county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | †Washington | City | 7,352 |
| 2 | Kalona | City | 2,630 |
| 3 | Wellman | City | 1,524 |
| 4 | Riverside | City | 1,060 |
| 5 | Brighton | City | 600 |
| 6 | Ainsworth | City | 511 |
| 7 | Crawfordsville | City | 277 |
| 8 | West Chester | City | 144 |
| 9 | Coppock (partially inHenry andJefferson Counties) | City | 36 |
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1896 | 2,882 | 54.42% | 2,292 | 43.28% | 122 | 2.30% |
| 1900 | 2,844 | 54.26% | 2,234 | 42.63% | 163 | 3.11% |
| 1904 | 2,875 | 59.24% | 1,772 | 36.51% | 206 | 4.24% |
| 1908 | 2,631 | 53.81% | 2,119 | 43.34% | 139 | 2.84% |
| 1912 | 1,264 | 26.35% | 2,003 | 41.76% | 1,530 | 31.89% |
| 1916 | 2,745 | 55.31% | 2,139 | 43.10% | 79 | 1.59% |
| 1920 | 5,813 | 71.09% | 2,257 | 27.60% | 107 | 1.31% |
| 1924 | 5,053 | 60.31% | 1,868 | 22.30% | 1,457 | 17.39% |
| 1928 | 5,948 | 68.04% | 2,754 | 31.50% | 40 | 0.46% |
| 1932 | 3,889 | 45.25% | 4,554 | 52.98% | 152 | 1.77% |
| 1936 | 4,619 | 50.66% | 4,379 | 48.03% | 120 | 1.32% |
| 1940 | 5,649 | 58.11% | 4,030 | 41.46% | 42 | 0.43% |
| 1944 | 5,308 | 60.57% | 3,423 | 39.06% | 32 | 0.37% |
| 1948 | 4,680 | 56.76% | 3,485 | 42.27% | 80 | 0.97% |
| 1952 | 6,946 | 72.47% | 2,604 | 27.17% | 35 | 0.37% |
| 1956 | 5,844 | 65.84% | 3,022 | 34.05% | 10 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 5,861 | 64.48% | 3,222 | 35.45% | 6 | 0.07% |
| 1964 | 3,315 | 41.86% | 4,587 | 57.92% | 17 | 0.21% |
| 1968 | 4,899 | 61.68% | 2,679 | 33.73% | 365 | 4.60% |
| 1972 | 5,187 | 64.12% | 2,784 | 34.42% | 118 | 1.46% |
| 1976 | 4,218 | 54.03% | 3,448 | 44.17% | 141 | 1.81% |
| 1980 | 3,967 | 52.01% | 2,877 | 37.72% | 783 | 10.27% |
| 1984 | 4,613 | 59.37% | 3,079 | 39.63% | 78 | 1.00% |
| 1988 | 3,741 | 49.12% | 3,776 | 49.58% | 99 | 1.30% |
| 1992 | 3,576 | 39.65% | 3,384 | 37.52% | 2,058 | 22.82% |
| 1996 | 3,600 | 44.05% | 3,828 | 46.84% | 745 | 9.12% |
| 2000 | 4,827 | 53.08% | 3,932 | 43.24% | 335 | 3.68% |
| 2004 | 5,977 | 55.92% | 4,595 | 42.99% | 116 | 1.09% |
| 2008 | 5,247 | 49.36% | 5,170 | 48.64% | 212 | 1.99% |
| 2012 | 5,562 | 50.55% | 5,115 | 46.48% | 327 | 2.97% |
| 2016 | 6,173 | 56.48% | 3,943 | 36.08% | 813 | 7.44% |
| 2020 | 6,971 | 59.25% | 4,561 | 38.77% | 233 | 1.98% |
| 2024 | 7,119 | 61.43% | 4,297 | 37.08% | 172 | 1.48% |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Places adjacent to Washington County, Iowa | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofWashington County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
41°20′05″N91°43′11″W / 41.33472°N 91.71972°W /41.33472; -91.71972
