Des Moines County, Iowa

Not to be confused with Des Moines, Iowa or Polk County, Iowa, the county in which the city of Des Moines is primarily located.

Des Moines County
County
Des Moines County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°55′40″N91°11′02″W / 40.9278°N 91.1839°W / 40.9278; -91.1839
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1834
Named for	Des Moines River
Seat	Burlington
Largest city	Burlington
Area
• Total	430 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	416 sq mi (1,080 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  3.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	38,910
• Estimate  (2023)	38,253
• Density	90/sq mi (35/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Area code	319
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.desmoinescounty.iowa.gov

Des Moines County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,910. ^[1] The county seat and largest city is Burlington. ^[2] It is one of Iowa's two original counties along with Dubuque County; both were organized by the Michigan Territorial legislature in 1834. Des Moines County is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Des Moines County should not be confused with the city of Des Moines, which is the capital of Iowa. Des Moines County sits on Iowa's eastern border alongside the Mississippi River. The city of Des Moines is in Polk County in central Iowa. Both places derive their name from the Des Moines River, which flows through the city of Des Moines and originally flowed through the county. When the county was divided early in Iowa's history, the river ended up further west, forming the border between Lee County, Iowa and the state of Missouri.

History

At an extra session of the Sixth Legislative Assembly of Michigan Territory held in September 1834, the Iowa District was divided into two counties by running a line due west from the lower end of Rock Island in the Mississippi River. The territory north of this line (which started just south of the present-day Davenport) was named Dubuque County, and all south of it was Demoine County. It was named after the Des Moines River. ^[3] From July 3, 1836, until July 3, 1838, Des Moines County was part of Wisconsin Territory. The county underwent various border changes during this time. July 4, 1838, the named county became part of Iowa Territory (later the state of Iowa). ^[4]

The current Des Moines County Court House was completed in 1940. ^[5] The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant was also established in 1940.

Geography

The U.S. Highway 34 bridge over the Mississippi River in Burlington

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 430 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 416 square miles (1,080 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (3.2%) is water. ^[6] The Mississippi River forms the east border; Skunk River, the south border; and the county is drained by Flint Creek. ^[7]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 34
• U.S. Highway 61

Transit

• Burlington station
• Burlington Urban Service

Airport

The Southeast Iowa Regional Airport (IATA code BRL), is located on the southern side of Burlington.

Adjacent counties

• Louisa County (north)
• Hancock County, Illinois (southeast)
• Henderson County, Illinois (east)
• Lee County (south)
• Henry County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	12,988		—
1860	19,611		51.0%
1870	27,256		39.0%
1880	33,099		21.4%
1890	35,324		6.7%
1900	35,989		1.9%
1910	36,145		0.4%
1920	35,520		−1.7%
1930	38,162		7.4%
1940	36,804		−3.6%
1950	42,056		14.3%
1960	44,605		6.1%
1970	46,982		5.3%
1980	46,203		−1.7%
1990	42,614		−7.8%
2000	42,351		−0.6%
2010	40,325		−4.8%
2020	38,910		−3.5%
2023 (est.)	38,253	[8]	−1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11] 1990-2000 [12] 2010-2018 [13]

Population of Des Moines County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 38,910 in the county, with a population density of 91.615/sq mi (35.373/km²). 94.26% of the population reported being of one race. 82.03% were non-Hispanic White, 6.51% were Black, 3.20% were Hispanic, 0.20% were Native American, 1.04% were Asian, 0.06% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 6.97% were some other race or more than one race. There were 18,782 housing units of which 16,751 were occupied. ^[1]

Des Moines County Racial Composition ^[14]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	32,753	84.2%
Black or African American (NH)	2,501	6.43%
Native American (NH)	67	0.2%
Asian (NH)	398	1.02%
Pacific Islander (NH)	21	0.05%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,925	5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,245	3.2%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 40,325 in the county, with a population density of 96.9002/sq mi (37.4134/km²). There were 18,535 housing units, of which 17,003 were occupied. ^[15]

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, ^[16] there were 42,351 people, 17,270 households, and 11,536 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 inhabitants per square mile (39/km²). There were 18,643 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.69% White, 3.57% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,270 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,790, and the median income for a family was $45,089. Males had a median income of $34,880 versus $22,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,701. About 8.20% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Burlington
• Danville
• Mediapolis
• Middletown
• West Burlington

Census-designated places

• Augusta
• Beaverdale
• Kingston
• Oak Hills
• Sperry
• Yarmouth

Other unincorporated communities

• Dodgeville

Townships

• Benton
• Concordia
• Danville
• Flint River
• Franklin
• Huron
• Jackson
• Pleasant Grove
• Tama
• Union
• Washington
• Yellow Springs

Population ranking

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

†county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Burlington	City	23,982
2	West Burlington	City	3,197
3	Mediapolis	City	1,688
4	Beaverdale	CDP	880
5	Danville	City	927
6	Middletown	City	363

Politics

From 1896 through 1960, Des Moines County was a primarily Republican county, backing Democratic nominees only four times in the period (Woodrow Wilson in 1912, with a low plurality; Franklin Roosevelt in his two landslides in 1932 and 1936; and Harry Truman in 1948). From 1964 through 2012, it became a Democratic stronghold, backing the Democratic nominee in every election in this period save in Nixon's 1972 landslide. In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican since 1972 to carry the county, despite narrowly losing the overall national popular vote; the county swung over 25% in his favor relative to its 2012 vote. ^[17] The change to the GOP happened while the county experienced an economic decline. ^[18] In 2020 and 2024, Trump again carried the county, with an increased vote share each time, the first time the county has voted Republican three times in a row since between 1952 and 1960.

United States presidential election results for Des Moines County, Iowa ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	10,794	56.65%	7,935	41.64%	325	1.71%
2020	10,592	53.08%	8,893	44.56%	471	2.36%
2016	9,529	49.88%	8,212	42.99%	1,362	7.13%
2012	8,136	39.91%	11,888	58.32%	361	1.77%
2008	7,721	37.53%	12,462	60.57%	391	1.90%
2004	8,221	39.38%	12,456	59.67%	197	0.94%
2000	7,385	38.14%	11,351	58.62%	629	3.25%
1996	5,778	31.11%	10,761	57.94%	2,035	10.96%
1992	6,378	30.10%	11,309	53.37%	3,503	16.53%
1988	7,652	39.50%	11,593	59.84%	129	0.67%
1984	9,559	45.85%	11,173	53.59%	118	0.57%
1980	9,158	44.85%	9,977	48.87%	1,282	6.28%
1976	9,023	43.94%	11,268	54.87%	245	1.19%
1972	10,216	52.77%	8,869	45.82%	273	1.41%
1968	8,452	42.30%	10,164	50.87%	1,363	6.82%
1964	5,830	29.50%	13,894	70.31%	38	0.19%
1960	10,678	51.86%	9,872	47.94%	41	0.20%
1956	11,152	55.88%	8,781	44.00%	25	0.13%
1952	12,182	58.13%	8,686	41.45%	89	0.42%
1948	7,621	45.56%	8,792	52.56%	316	1.89%
1944	9,488	55.24%	7,543	43.91%	146	0.85%
1940	10,988	62.34%	6,578	37.32%	59	0.33%
1936	6,763	43.06%	7,011	44.64%	1,931	12.30%
1932	5,590	35.66%	9,395	59.94%	690	4.40%
1928	10,547	64.70%	5,578	34.22%	177	1.09%
1924	7,995	53.98%	2,616	17.66%	4,199	28.35%
1920	8,287	63.76%	3,449	26.54%	1,261	9.70%
1916	4,132	49.51%	3,827	45.86%	386	4.63%
1912	2,136	26.49%	3,169	39.30%	2,759	34.21%
1908	4,153	48.92%	3,975	46.83%	361	4.25%
1904	4,496	54.18%	3,043	36.67%	760	9.16%
1900	4,315	50.72%	3,909	45.94%	284	3.34%
1896	4,549	53.06%	3,741	43.63%	284	3.31%

See also

• Iowa portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Des Moines 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. Des Moines County Archived July 3, 2007, at archive.today
4. "WI: Individual County Chronologies". publications.newberry.org. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
5. Svendsen, Marlvs A. "PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA MPS". National Park Service. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Des Moines, a S. E. county of Iowa"  . The American Cyclopædia .
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
11. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
12. "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 16, 2014.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
14. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Des Moines County, Iowa".
15. "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
17. "Here's a map of the US counties that flipped to Trump from Democrats". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
18. Gabriel, Trip (April 27, 2021). "Why Iowa Has Become Such a Heartbreaker for Democrats". The New York Times . Retrieved May 28, 2023.
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 25, 2018.

Further reading

• Antrobus, Augustine M (1915). History of Des Moines County, Iowa and its People : Illustrated : Volume 1. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
• Antrobus, Augustine M (1915). History of Des Moines County, Iowa and its People : Illustrated : Volume 2. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. Retrieved April 20, 2014.

External links

• County Government website

40°55′40″N91°11′02″W / 40.92778°N 91.18389°W / 40.92778; -91.18389