Sioux County, Iowa

Sioux County
County
Sioux County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
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 for	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 (2 km2)  0.09%
Population  (2020)
• Total	35,872
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	siouxcountyia.gov

Sioux County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,872. ^[1] Its county seat is Orange City. ^[2] Its largest city is Sioux Center.

History

Sioux County was formed on January 15, 1851. It has been self-governed since January 20, 1860. It was named after the Sioux tribe. ^[3]

The first county seat was Calliope in 1860, then a small village with 15 inhabitants, and now part of Hawarden. The first courthouse was built here 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 new Sioux County courthouse designed by W.W. Beach. Of red sandstone, 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 the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the U.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 the Rock River or the Big Sioux River. Eastern Sioux County drains to the south east to the Floyd River.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 18
• U.S. Highway 75
• Iowa Highway 10
• Iowa Highway 12
• Iowa Highway 60

Adjacent counties

• Lyon County (north)
• O'Brien County (east)
• Plymouth County (south)
• Union County, South Dakota (southwest)
• Lincoln County, South Dakota (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

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%
2023 (est.)	36,246	[5]	1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8] 1990-2000 [9] 2010-2018 [10]

Population of Sioux County from US census data

2020 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Sioux County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 35,872 in the county, with a population density of 46.6875/sq mi (18.02614/km²). 93.74% of the population reported being of one race. There were 13,000 housing units, of which 12,202 were occupied. ^[1]

Sioux County Racial Composition ^[11]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	29,919	83.4%
Black or African American (NH)	184	0.51%
Native American (NH)	87	0.24%
Asian (NH)	219	0.61%
Pacific Islander (NH)	5	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	544	1.52%
Hispanic or Latino	4,914	13.7%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,704 in the county, with a population density of 43.8923/sq mi (16.9469/km²). There were 12,279 housing units, of which 11,584 were occupied. ^[12]

2000 census

As of the census ^[13] of 2000, there were 31,589 people, 10,693 households, and 8,062 families residing in the county. The population 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 or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $16,532. About 4.60% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty 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. ^[14] As of 2011 ^[update] , this changed to 14 married persons per divorced person. ^[14]

Religion

As of 2011 ^[update] , 80% of the county residents belong to major denominational churches, compared to 36% of the total U.S. population. ^[14]

Education

Sioux County is the home to two four-year liberal arts colleges; Northwestern College in Orange City and Dordt 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.

Politics

Sioux County is overwhelmingly Republican in Presidential elections. ^[15] The only Democratic presidential nominee to ever carry Sioux County since the Civil War has been Franklin D. Roosevelt, who did so in 1932 and 1936; ^[16] however, Theodore Roosevelt won the county as a Progressive in 1912 and George 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 support Barry Goldwater, who easily carried the county with almost 66 percent of the vote–a near-reversal of Lyndon Johnson's statewide margin. In addition, in 2008, when Barack Obama carried Iowa by 9.5 points, Sioux County was his weakest of all 99 counties in the state, with John McCain winning the county by 62 points. ^[17] By 2020, the county at 66.5 point margin was Joe Biden's second-weakest county in Iowa, being overtaken by almost as equally Republican neighboring Lyon County at 67.5 points. ^[18]

In 1992, Sioux County was one of only two counties in the nation, along with Jackson County, Kentucky, to give George H. W. Bush over seventy percent of its vote. ^[19] In the six elections since then, the Republican candidates has never received less than 75 percent of the county's vote. ^[20] It is located in what was, until 2013, Iowa's 5th congressional district which had a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+9 and was represented by Republican Steve King. King won the seat in Iowa's new 4th congressional district in the 2012 election ^[21] with 53% of the district's vote, and with 83% of Sioux County votes going for King. ^[22]

United States presidential election results for Sioux County, Iowa ^[23]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	15,680	82.31%	3,019	15.85%	352	1.85%
2016	14,785	81.26%	2,300	12.64%	1,109	6.10%
2012	14,407	83.24%	2,700	15.60%	201	1.16%
2008	13,490	80.95%	3,030	18.18%	145	0.87%
2004	14,229	85.87%	2,259	13.63%	82	0.49%
2000	12,241	83.32%	2,148	14.62%	303	2.06%
1996	10,864	77.00%	2,392	16.95%	854	6.05%
1992	10,637	72.21%	2,226	15.11%	1,867	12.67%
1988	10,270	77.29%	2,923	22.00%	95	0.71%
1984	11,665	81.61%	2,585	18.09%	43	0.30%
1980	10,768	76.01%	2,698	19.04%	701	4.95%
1976	9,448	73.04%	3,322	25.68%	165	1.28%
1972	10,721	78.27%	2,867	20.93%	109	0.80%
1968	10,010	80.04%	2,181	17.44%	316	2.53%
1964	8,078	65.55%	4,233	34.35%	12	0.10%
1960	10,284	79.51%	2,643	20.43%	7	0.05%
1956	9,651	78.29%	2,666	21.63%	11	0.09%
1952	10,275	83.21%	2,050	16.60%	24	0.19%
1948	5,597	57.11%	4,042	41.24%	162	1.65%
1944	6,552	65.92%	3,369	33.89%	19	0.19%
1940	7,585	64.55%	4,144	35.27%	21	0.18%
1936	4,543	42.58%	5,553	52.05%	573	5.37%
1932	3,943	38.65%	6,170	60.48%	89	0.87%
1928	6,378	68.97%	2,839	30.70%	31	0.34%
1924	4,960	58.91%	900	10.69%	2,560	30.40%
1920	6,068	79.29%	1,510	19.73%	75	0.98%
1916	2,261	51.89%	2,049	47.03%	47	1.08%
1912	575	12.33%	1,453	31.15%	2,636	56.52%
1908	2,697	58.10%	1,891	40.74%	54	1.16%
1904	2,992	70.83%	1,151	27.25%	81	1.92%
1900	3,025	61.70%	1,809	36.90%	69	1.41%
1896	2,841	59.02%	1,898	39.43%	75	1.56%

Communities

Cities

• Alton
• Boyden
• Chatsworth
• Granville
• Hawarden
• Hospers
• Hull
• Ireton
• Matlock
• Maurice
• Orange City
• Rock Valley
• Sheldon
• Sioux Center

Townships

• Buncombe
• Capel
• Center
• Eagle
• East Orange
• Floyd
• Garfield
• Grant
• Holland
• Lincoln
• Logan
• Lynn
• Nassau
• Plato
• Reading
• Rock
• Settlers
• Sheridan
• Sherman
• Sioux
• Washington
• Welcome
• West Branch

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 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 in O'Brien )	City	261 (5,512 total)
13	Chatsworth	City	75
14	Matlock	City	74

Notable people

• Vern Den Herder, member of the undefeated Miami Dolphins NFL team of 1972
• Hope Emerson, American actress
• Michael Franken, retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, won Iowa's 2022 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary
• Stanley L. Greigg, member of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Brian Hansen, former NFL punter
• Charles B. Hoeven, U.S. Representative
• Millie Jeffrey, pioneer for workers', civil and women's rights
• James Kennedy, American historian
• Stephen Mitchell
• Nancy Metcalf, professional volleyball player
• Albert Meyer
• Dennis A. Muilenburg, Former Boeing President & CEO
• Dennis Marion Schnurr, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
• Robert H. Schuller, American televangelist, pastor, and author
• Ruth Suckow, American author
• Melvin D. Synhorst, former Iowa Secretary of State
• Delwin Vriend, LGBT rights icon
• Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, American mathematician
• Adam Gregg, Current Iowa Lieutenant Governor

See also

• Iowa portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Sioux County, Iowa

References

1. "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 163.
4. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
11. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Sioux County, Iowa".
12. "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State – County". United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. Tavernise, Sabrina; Gebeloff, Robert (March 23, 2011). "Once Rare in Rural America, Divorce Is Changing the Face of Its Families". New York Times . Retrieved March 24, 2011.
15. David Leip’s Presidential Atlas (Maps for Iowa by election)
16. Geographie Electorale
17. "2008 Presidential General Election Results - Iowa".
18. "2020 Presidential General Election Results - Iowa".
19. David Leip’s Presidential Atlas: 1992 Presidential election statistics
20. The New York Times electoral map (Zoom in on Iowa)
21. Hayworth, Bret (November 6, 2012). "King wins sixth term in House". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
22. "Iowa 4th District Congressional Election Results, by County". 2012 General Election Results. Iowa Secretary of State. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
23. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 28, 2018.

External links

• Sioux County government website

43°04′53″N96°10′46″W / 43.08139°N 96.17944°W / 43.08139; -96.17944