2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,704. The median age was 45.6 years, 21.9% of residents were under age 18, and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.1 males age 18 and over. [13] [14]
The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.1% of the population. [14]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas. [15]
There were 1,614 households in the county, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.1% were married-couple households, 19.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [13]
Of the 1,888 housing units, 1,614 were occupied and 14.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.2% were owner-occupied and 22.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%. [13]
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 4,029 people, 1,715 households, and 1,126 families residing in the county. [16] The population density was 9.5 inhabitants per square mile (3.7/km2). There were 2,010 housing units at an average density of 4.7 per square mile (1.8/km2). [17] The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. [16] In terms of ancestry, 33.6% were German, 15.9% were Irish, 14.7% were English, and 4.9% were American. [18]
Of the 1,715 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.3% were non-families, and 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 46.7 years. [16]
The median income for a household in the county was $40,368 and the median income for a family was $52,782. Males had a median income of $33,505 versus $25,332 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,549. About 6.0% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over. [19]
United States
Iowa 
