Adams County, Iowa

Adams County
County
Adams County Courthouse in Corning
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°01′45″N94°41′57″W / 41.029166666667°N 94.699166666667°W / 41.029166666667; -94.699166666667
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	March 12, 1853
Named for	John Adams
Seat	Corning
Largest city	Corning
Area
• Total	426 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.5%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,704
• Estimate  (2023)	3,544
• Density	8.7/sq mi (3.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	adamscounty.iowa.gov

Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,704, ^[1] making it Iowa's least-populous county. Its county seat is Corning. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Adams County was established by the state legislature in 1851 and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams, or his son, the sixth President, John Quincy Adams (sources differ). The county was finally organized and separated from Pottawattamie County on March 12, 1853. Its original size was later reduced by the creation of Montgomery and Union counties.

The first county seat was Quincy, Iowa. In 1872, it was moved to Corning. ^[4]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 426 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 423 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) (0.5%) is water. ^[5]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 34
• Iowa Highway 148

Adjacent counties

• Cass County (northwest)
• Adair County (northeast)
• Union County (east)
• Taylor County (south)
• Montgomery County (west)

Demographics

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

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	1,533		—
1870	4,614		201.0%
1880	11,888		157.7%
1890	12,292		3.4%
1900	13,601		10.6%
1910	10,998		−19.1%
1920	10,521		−4.3%
1930	10,437		−0.8%
1940	10,156		−2.7%
1950	8,753		−13.8%
1960	7,468		−14.7%
1970	6,322		−15.3%
1980	5,731		−9.3%
1990	4,866		−15.1%
2000	4,482		−7.9%
2010	4,029		−10.1%
2020	3,704		−8.1%
2023 (est.)	3,544	[6]	−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2010-2018 [3]

Population of Adams County, Iowa from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 3,704 in the county, with a population density of 8.7212/sq mi (3.3673/km²). 97.11% of the population reported being of one race. 94.20% were non-Hispanic White, 0.32% were Black, 1.13% were Hispanic, 0.51% were Native American, 0.35% were Asian, 0.00% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.48% were some other race or more than one race. There were 1,888 housing units of which 1,614 were occupied. ^[1]

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 4,029 people, 1,715 households, and 1,126 families residing in the county. ^[11] 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). ^[12] 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. ^[11] In terms of ancestry, 33.6% were German, 15.9% were Irish, 14.7% were English, and 4.9% were American. ^[13]

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. ^[11]

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. ^[14]

Communities

Cities, Towns, Villages and Hamlets

• Carbon
• Carl
• Corning (county seat)
• Lenox (mostly in Taylor County )
• Mt. Etna
• Nodaway
• Prescott
• Williamson

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Adams County. ^[1]

†county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Corning	City	1,564
2	Prescott	City	191
3	Nodaway	City	74
4	Carbon	City	36

Government

Civil Townships

• Carl
• Colony
• Douglas
• Grant
• Jasper
• Lincoln
• Mercer
• Nodaway
• Prescott
• Quincy
• Union
• Washington

Politics

United States presidential election results for Adams County, Iowa ^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,517	71.05%	576	26.98%	42	1.97%
2020	1,530	70.83%	590	27.31%	40	1.85%
2016	1,395	66.24%	565	26.83%	146	6.93%
2012	1,108	50.71%	1,028	47.05%	49	2.24%
2008	1,046	47.42%	1,118	50.68%	42	1.90%
2004	1,317	56.65%	977	42.02%	31	1.33%
2000	1,170	54.55%	897	41.82%	78	3.64%
1996	920	39.55%	1,070	46.00%	336	14.45%
1992	863	33.24%	1,034	39.83%	699	26.93%
1988	1,080	45.38%	1,283	53.91%	17	0.71%
1984	1,706	57.64%	1,221	41.25%	33	1.11%
1980	1,779	59.62%	940	31.50%	265	8.88%
1976	1,388	47.26%	1,507	51.31%	42	1.43%
1972	1,814	59.57%	1,161	38.13%	70	2.30%
1968	1,868	59.72%	993	31.75%	267	8.54%
1964	1,321	40.48%	1,941	59.49%	1	0.03%
1960	2,185	57.08%	1,643	42.92%	0	0.00%
1956	2,248	55.92%	1,756	43.68%	16	0.40%
1952	3,129	69.06%	1,383	30.52%	19	0.42%
1948	2,142	53.39%	1,817	45.29%	53	1.32%
1944	2,540	57.56%	1,868	42.33%	5	0.11%
1940	3,182	60.13%	2,088	39.46%	22	0.42%
1936	2,953	56.06%	2,249	42.69%	66	1.25%
1932	1,795	45.57%	2,097	53.24%	47	1.19%
1928	2,958	66.04%	1,479	33.02%	42	0.94%
1924	2,547	54.28%	897	19.12%	1,248	26.60%
1920	2,845	62.43%	1,670	36.65%	42	0.92%
1916	1,401	50.20%	1,365	48.91%	25	0.90%
1912	913	32.81%	1,215	43.66%	655	23.54%
1908	1,595	53.03%	1,325	44.05%	88	2.93%
1904	1,761	58.92%	1,003	33.56%	225	7.53%
1900	1,873	55.22%	1,428	42.10%	91	2.68%
1896	1,736	49.77%	1,701	48.77%	51	1.46%

See also

• Iowa portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Adams 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. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
4. Adams County
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
11. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
12. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
13. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
14. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 25, 2018.

Further reading

• History of Adams County Iowa. Corning, Iowa: Corning Departmental Club and Civic Department. 1984.

External links

• Adams County government's website

41°01′45″N94°41′57″W / 41.02917°N 94.69917°W / 41.02917; -94.69917