Woodbury County, Iowa | |
|---|---|
 Woodbury County Courthouse in Sioux City | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofIowa | |
| Coordinates:42°23′29″N96°03′03″W / 42.3914°N 96.0508°W /42.3914; -96.0508 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Named after | Levi Woodbury[1] |
| Seat | Sioux City |
| Largest city | Sioux City |
| Area | |
• Total | 878 sq mi (2,270 km2) |
| • Land | 872.59 sq mi (2,260.0 km2) |
| • Water | 4.79 sq mi (12.4 km2) 0.55% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 105,941 |
• Estimate (2024) | 107,257 |
| • Density | 121.41/sq mi (46.877/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Woodbury County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofIowa. As of the2020 census, the population was 105,941,[2] making it the sixth-most populous county in Iowa. Thecounty seat isSioux City.[3]
Woodbury County is included in theSioux City metropolitan area.[4]
Originally established in 1851 as Wahkaw County, the IowaLegislature in 1853 changed the name to Woodbury County in honor ofLevi Woodbury (1789–1851), asenator andgovernor of New Hampshire who served as aSupreme Court justice from 1844 until his death.
The first county seat of Wahkaw County was the now-extinct village of Thompsonville; when the Legislature changed the county name to Woodbury, the new county seat became Sergeant's Bluff (nowSergeant Bluff). The county seat was moved to Sioux City in 1856.
The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (Ho-Chunk) owns reservation land in Woodbury County.
The county is on the western edge of Iowa, with its western border being theMissouri River.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 878 square miles (2,270 km2), of which 873 square miles (2,260 km2) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km2) (0.6%) is water.[5] It is the third-largest county by area in Iowa.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 1,119 | — | |
| 1870 | 6,172 | 451.6% | |
| 1880 | 14,996 | 143.0% | |
| 1890 | 55,632 | 271.0% | |
| 1900 | 54,610 | −1.8% | |
| 1910 | 67,616 | 23.8% | |
| 1920 | 92,171 | 36.3% | |
| 1930 | 101,669 | 10.3% | |
| 1940 | 103,627 | 1.9% | |
| 1950 | 103,917 | 0.3% | |
| 1960 | 107,849 | 3.8% | |
| 1970 | 103,052 | −4.4% | |
| 1980 | 100,884 | −2.1% | |
| 1990 | 98,276 | −2.6% | |
| 2000 | 103,877 | 5.7% | |
| 2010 | 102,172 | −1.6% | |
| 2020 | 105,941 | 3.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 107,257 | [6] | 1.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[11][12] 2022[11] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 105,941 and a population density of120.9/sq mi (46.7/km2). The housing stock included 42,701 units, 39,904 of which were occupied.[13]
The median age was 35.8 years; 26.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.5 males age 18 and over.[13]
Overall, 90.93% of the population reported being of one race. The racial makeup of the county was 72.5%White, 4.9%Black or African American, 2.4%American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.8%Asian, 0.6%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 7.7% from some other race, and 9.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 17.7% of the population.[14]
83.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 16.1% lived in rural areas.[15]
There were 39,904 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.7% were married-couple households, 20.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]
Among the 42,701 housing units, 6.6% were vacant. Of the occupied units, 64.9% were owner-occupied and 35.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.6%.[13]
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 72,237 | 68.2% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 5,076 | 4.8% |
| Native American (NH) | 1,893 | 1.8% |
| Asian (NH) | 2,957 | 2.8% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 651 | 0.61% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 4,381 | 4.14% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 18,746 | 17.7% |
The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of117.1/sq mi (45.2/km2). There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.[17]
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 103,877 people, 39,151 households, and 26,426 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 inhabitants per square mile (46/km2). There were 41,394 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 87.48%White, 2.02%Black orAfrican American, 1.69%Native American, 2.41%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 4.37% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 9.11% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
Of the 39,151 households, 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.50% were non-families. 26.60% of households were one person and 11.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.13.
The age distribution was 27.30% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.
The median household income was $38,509 and the median family income was $46,499. Males had a median income of $31,664 versus $22,599 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,771. About 7.20% of families and 10.30% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.
For much of the second half of the 20th century, Woodbury County tilted Republican, albeit not as overwhelmingly as most of western Iowa. Between 1988 and 2012 Woodbury County was the quintessential swing county in Iowa. No candidate won it by more than 3.5% over that quarter-century. This was the only county in Iowa thatBarack Obama won in 2012 that he failed to carry in 2008. However, in 2016, Woodbury County, like Iowa as a whole, swung over dramatically toDonald Trump, who carried it by a 19 percent margin, the largest margin of victory sinceLyndon Johnson's landslide election in 1964.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1880 | 1,453 | 56.25% | 995 | 38.52% | 135 | 5.23% |
| 1884 | 2,789 | 53.78% | 2,380 | 45.89% | 17 | 0.33% |
| 1888 | 4,169 | 52.87% | 3,588 | 45.50% | 129 | 1.64% |
| 1892 | 4,620 | 47.07% | 4,156 | 42.34% | 1,040 | 10.59% |
| 1896 | 6,204 | 54.86% | 4,876 | 43.12% | 229 | 2.02% |
| 1900 | 7,045 | 57.54% | 4,796 | 39.17% | 402 | 3.28% |
| 1904 | 7,597 | 66.85% | 2,809 | 24.72% | 958 | 8.43% |
| 1908 | 6,587 | 53.52% | 5,222 | 42.43% | 498 | 4.05% |
| 1912 | 2,441 | 18.66% | 4,564 | 34.89% | 6,077 | 46.45% |
| 1916 | 5,735 | 38.61% | 8,819 | 59.38% | 299 | 2.01% |
| 1920 | 17,603 | 62.07% | 9,815 | 34.61% | 944 | 3.33% |
| 1924 | 16,639 | 47.38% | 5,676 | 16.16% | 12,804 | 36.46% |
| 1928 | 20,587 | 54.78% | 16,831 | 44.78% | 166 | 0.44% |
| 1932 | 12,764 | 31.97% | 26,397 | 66.12% | 761 | 1.91% |
| 1936 | 14,157 | 32.92% | 26,847 | 62.43% | 1,998 | 4.65% |
| 1940 | 22,832 | 48.19% | 24,457 | 51.62% | 89 | 0.19% |
| 1944 | 18,544 | 47.43% | 20,448 | 52.30% | 104 | 0.27% |
| 1948 | 16,655 | 42.61% | 22,056 | 56.43% | 373 | 0.95% |
| 1952 | 27,518 | 58.36% | 19,474 | 41.30% | 159 | 0.34% |
| 1956 | 25,399 | 55.89% | 19,997 | 44.00% | 49 | 0.11% |
| 1960 | 26,832 | 55.05% | 21,906 | 44.94% | 6 | 0.01% |
| 1964 | 17,347 | 39.23% | 26,841 | 60.70% | 30 | 0.07% |
| 1968 | 21,159 | 50.62% | 18,281 | 43.73% | 2,363 | 5.65% |
| 1972 | 23,757 | 57.34% | 16,974 | 40.97% | 699 | 1.69% |
| 1976 | 22,853 | 52.79% | 19,664 | 45.43% | 770 | 1.78% |
| 1980 | 23,553 | 54.43% | 15,930 | 36.81% | 3,792 | 8.76% |
| 1984 | 23,002 | 54.31% | 18,951 | 44.75% | 397 | 0.94% |
| 1988 | 18,790 | 47.90% | 20,153 | 51.38% | 282 | 0.72% |
| 1992 | 18,148 | 42.34% | 17,398 | 40.59% | 7,318 | 17.07% |
| 1996 | 16,368 | 43.69% | 17,224 | 45.97% | 3,872 | 10.34% |
| 2000 | 18,864 | 49.78% | 17,691 | 46.68% | 1,341 | 3.54% |
| 2004 | 22,451 | 50.80% | 21,455 | 48.55% | 289 | 0.65% |
| 2008 | 22,219 | 49.58% | 21,983 | 49.05% | 613 | 1.37% |
| 2012 | 21,841 | 48.52% | 22,302 | 49.54% | 876 | 1.95% |
| 2016 | 24,727 | 56.56% | 16,210 | 37.08% | 2,781 | 6.36% |
| 2020 | 25,736 | 56.73% | 18,704 | 41.23% | 922 | 2.03% |
| 2024 | 25,969 | 60.50% | 16,145 | 37.62% | 807 | 1.88% |
The population ranking of the following table is based on the2020 census of Woodbury County.[2]
†county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | †Sioux City (partially inPlymouth County) | City | 85,791 (85,797 total) |
| 2 | Sergeant Bluff | City | 5,015 |
| 3 | Moville | City | 1,687 |
| 4 | Sloan | City | 1,042 |
| 5 | Lawton | City | 943 |
| 6 | Correctionville | City | 766 |
| 7 | Anthon | City | 545 |
| 8 | Pierson | City | 337 |
| 9 | Danbury | City | 320 |
| 10 | Salix | City | 295 |
| 11 | Bronson | City | 294 |
| 12 | Hornick | City | 255 |
| 13 | Cushing | City | 230 |
| 14 | Smithland | City | 181 |
| 15 | Climbing Hill | CDP | 97 |
| 16 | Oto | City | 72 |
School districts include:[21]
Former school districts include:
Places adjacent to Woodbury County, Iowa | |
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Municipalities and communities ofWoodbury County, Iowa,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDP | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Civil townships | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
42°23′29″N96°03′03″W / 42.39139°N 96.05083°W /42.39139; -96.05083
