Wapello County, Iowa

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 sqmi, of which 432 sqmi is land and 4.2 sqmi (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

• [[File:US 34.svg|x20px]] U.S. Highway 34
• [[File:US 63.svg|x20px]] U.S. Highway 63
• [[File:Elongated circle 16.svg|x20px]] Iowa Highway 16
• [[File:Elongated circle 137.svg|x20px]] Iowa Highway 137
• [[File:Elongated circle 149.svg|x20px]] Iowa Highway 149

Transit

• Ottumwa station
• Ottumwa Transit Authority

Adjacent counties

• Mahaska County (northwest)
• Keokuk County (northeast)
• Jefferson County (east)
• Davis County (south)
• Monroe County (west)

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 35,437 and a population density of .

The median age was 39.1 years, with 24.0% of residents under the age of 18 and 18.7% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 79.5% White, 4.1% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% Asian, 1.5% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 6.7% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.2% of the population.

70.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 29.4% lived in rural areas.

There were 14,167 households in the county, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.8% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 15,734 housing units, of which 14,167 were occupied, leaving a 10.0% vacancy rate. Among occupied housing units, 69.7% were owner-occupied and 30.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,625 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,098 housing units, of which 14,552 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,051 people, 14,784 households, and 9,801 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 /mi2. There were 15,873 housing units at an average density of 37 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.28% White, 0.93% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,784 households, out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $39,224. Males had a median income of $31,346 versus $21,286 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,500. About 9.40% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Agency
• Blakesburg
• Chillicothe
• Eddyville
• Eldon
• Kirkville
• Ottumwa

Unincorporated communities

• Ashland
• Bidwell
• Bladensburg
• Cliffland
• Dahlonega
• Dudley
• Farson
• Munterville
• Phillips
• Pickwick
• Ottumwa Junction
• Rutledge
• Willard
• Yampa

Townships

• Adams
• Agency
• Cass
• Center
• Columbia
• Competine
• Dahlonega
• Green
• Highland
• Keokuk
• Pleasant
• Polk
• Richland
• Washington

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Wapello County.

† county seat

Politics

Between 1864 and 1928, Wapello County backed the Republican candidate in every election except 1912, when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt ran as the Progressive candidate, fracturing the Republican party and allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to take the county with a plurality of the vote of less than 37%. From 1932 to 2012, the county voted Democratic in every election except two, the nationwide Republican landslides of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and Richard Nixon in 1972. So Democratic was the county that it was the only county in Iowa to give Jimmy Carter an outright majority of its votes in his 1980 landslide loss. Beginning in 2016, Wapello County has shifted back to the Republican column, as Donald Trump carried the county in each of his three runs, winning by a margin of over 20% in 2016 and over 23% in 2020, and over 31% in 2024. Also in 2024, Trump became the first candidate from any party to obtain at least 65% of the county's vote since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and the first Republican to do so since Herbert Hoover in 1928.

Education

School districts include:

• Cardinal Community School District
• Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District - Formed on July 1, 2012.
• Fairfield Community School District
• Ottumwa Community School District
• Pekin Community School District

Former school districts:

• Eddyville-Blakesburg Community School District - Merged into Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on July 1, 2012.
• Fremont Community School District - Merged into Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont on July 1, 2012.

References

References

1. "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". United states Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. "Wapello County".
4. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
13. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Wapello County, Iowa".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]] American FactFinder.
16. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
18. Geography Division. (2020-12-18). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Wappelo County, IA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
19. "Reorganization and Dissolution Action Since 1965-66". [[Iowa Department of Education]].
20. Geography Division. (November 28, 2010). "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Wapello County, IA". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].