The first courthouse was built in 1861. The wooden, two-story building contained a courtroom, but was used for other purposes, including housing the office of the sheriff, county treasurer, the judge, as well as a chamber for the jury. The cornerstone for a second courthouse was laid on November 11, 1891.[7]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 501.891 square miles (1,299.89km2), of which 501.855 square miles (1,299.80km2) is land and 0.036 square miles (0.093km2) (0.01%) is water.[8] It is the 71st largest county in Iowa by total area.[9]
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 12,329 and a population density of 24.6/sqmi (9.5/km2).[15] 96.97% of the population reported being of one race.[16]
The median age was 42.3 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.5 males age 18 and over.[15]
There were 5,069 households in the county, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.4% were married-couple households, 16.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 5,465 housing units, of which 7.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.5% were owner-occupied and 17.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.4%.[15]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[17]
2010 census
The 2010 census recorded a population of 12,453 in the county, with a population density of 24.8/sqmi (9.6/km2). There were 5,530 housing units, of which 5,131 were occupied.[18]
2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 12,369 people, 4,984 households and 3,583 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km2). There were 5,304 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.97% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 0.02% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,984 households, of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.80% were married couples living together, 5.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.94.
25.20% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 19.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.
The median household income was $39,396, and the median family income was $46,627. Males had a median income of $32,006 and females $22,003. The per capita income was $19,142. About 3.30% of families and 4.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.60% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.
Grundy County has long been one of the most consistently Republican counties in Iowa. The county has only voted for a candidate of a different party four times since the county was founded in 1851. The first occasion was in 1912, when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won the county as the Progressive candidate. During his two landslide victories of 1932 and 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first Democrat to win Grundy County in its history. The final time a non-Republican candidate carried the county was in 1964, when Lyndon B. Johnson won in a nationwide landslide. No Democratic candidate has ever received more than 60% of the vote in the county, and in the last twenty-one elections (beginning in 1944), the Republican obtained at least 60% of the vote in sixteen of them, and the Republicans have hit at least 65% in ten of the twenty-one elections in that span.
United States presidential election results for Grundy County, Iowa[19]
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