Howard County, Iowa

Howard County
County
Howard County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°21′27″N92°18′56″W / 43.3575°N 92.315555555556°W / 43.3575; -92.315555555556
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Named for	Tilghman Howard
Seat	Cresco
Largest city	Cresco
Area
• Total	474 sq mi (1,230 km2)
• Land	473 sq mi (1,230 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1 km2)  0.08%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,469
• Density	20/sq mi (7.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	howardcounty.iowa.gov

Howard County is a county located in the US state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,469. ^[1] The county seat is Cresco. ^[2] The county was founded in 1851; it was named for General Tilghman Ashurst Howard, a Representative of Indiana. ^{[3] [4]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 474 square miles (1,230 km²), of which 473 square miles (1,230 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) (0.08%) is water. ^[5]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 63
• Iowa Highway 9
• Iowa Highway 139

Adjacent counties

• Mower County, Minnesota (northwest)
• Fillmore County, Minnesota (north)
• Winneshiek County (east)
• Chickasaw County (south)
• Mitchell County (west)
• Floyd County (southwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	3,168		—
1870	6,282		98.3%
1880	10,837		72.5%
1890	11,182		3.2%
1900	14,512		29.8%
1910	12,920		−11.0%
1920	13,705		6.1%
1930	13,082		−4.5%
1940	13,531		3.4%
1950	13,105		−3.1%
1960	12,734		−2.8%
1970	11,442		−10.1%
1980	11,114		−2.9%
1990	9,809		−11.7%
2000	9,932		1.3%
2010	9,566		−3.7%
2020	9,469		−1.0%
2023 (est.)	9,376	[6]	−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2010-2018 [11]

Population of Howard County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 9,469 in the county, with a population density of 19.9387/sq mi (7.6984/km²). 96.75% of the population reported being of one race. 91.69% were non-Hispanic White, 0.24% were Black, 2.72% were Hispanic, 0.51% were Native American, 0.29% were Asian, 0.07% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.48% were some other race or more than one race. There were 4,314 housing units, of which 3,945 were occupied. ^[1]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,566 in the county, with a population density of 20.207/sq mi (7.8020/km²). There were 4,367 housing units, of which 3,944 were occupied. ^[12]

2000 census

At the 2000 census, ^[13] there were 9,932 people, 3,974 households and 2,650 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 per square mile (8.1/km²). There were 4,327 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.06% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,974 households, of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03.

26.30% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median household income was $34,641 and the median family income was $43,284. Males had a median income of $28,856 compared $21,367 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,842. About 5.6% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Events

The Mighty Howard County Fair is held annually in Cresco, in the last full week of June. This celebration originated in 1858, and three fairs were celebrated before being interrupted by the American Civil War. They resumed from 1866 through 1899, and were resumed in 1923 under aegis of the present directorship. ^[14]

Communities

Cities

• Chester
• Cresco
• Elma
• Lime Springs
• Protivin
• Riceville

Unincorporated communities

• Bonaire
• Florenceville
• Saratoga
• Schley

Townships

• Afton
• Albion
• Chester
• Forest City
• Howard
• Howard Center
• Jamestown
• New Oregon
• Oak Dale
• Paris
• Saratoga
• Vernon Springs

Population ranking

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

†county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Cresco	City	3,888
2	Riceville (partially in Mitchell County )	City	806
3	Elma	City	505
4	Lime Springs	City	473
5	Protivin (partially in Chickasaw County )	City	269
6	Chester	City	139

Notable people

• Norman Borlaug (1914–2009) - Nobel Peace Prize winner who was raised and went to school in the county.

Politics

From 1972 to 2012, Howard County leaned Democratic in presidential elections. Republicans only carried the county three times, all amidst national landslides, and the county almost always weighed in to the left of the national popular vote. However, in 2016, the county swung dramatically towards Republican Donald Trump, going from a 21-point Democratic margin in 2012 to a more than 20-point Republican margin in 2016. With this 41-point swing, Howard County voted Republican in a presidential election for the first time since 1984, with Trump's 57.27% vote share marking the strongest Republican performance in the county since 1952. In 2020, Trump further expanded his vote share to 63.07%, the best performance for any candidate in Howard County since Warren G. Harding a century earlier.

United States presidential election results for Howard County, Iowa ^{[15] [16]}

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,127	63.07%	1,772	35.74%	59	1.19%
2016	2,611	57.27%	1,677	36.78%	271	5.94%
2012	1,795	38.64%	2,768	59.59%	82	1.77%
2008	1,722	36.41%	2,941	62.19%	66	1.40%
2004	2,028	43.18%	2,614	55.65%	55	1.17%
2000	1,922	42.80%	2,426	54.02%	143	3.18%
1996	1,528	34.69%	2,303	52.28%	574	13.03%
1992	1,516	31.18%	2,099	43.17%	1,247	25.65%
1988	1,970	45.55%	2,330	53.87%	25	0.58%
1984	2,718	55.49%	2,135	43.59%	45	0.92%
1980	2,975	53.35%	2,214	39.71%	387	6.94%
1976	2,618	46.62%	2,917	51.94%	81	1.44%
1972	2,980	54.37%	2,439	44.50%	62	1.13%
1968	3,141	53.90%	2,420	41.53%	266	4.56%
1964	2,360	38.00%	3,841	61.84%	10	0.16%
1960	3,378	49.79%	3,406	50.21%	0	0.00%
1956	3,491	52.85%	3,106	47.02%	8	0.12%
1952	4,305	62.56%	2,564	37.26%	12	0.17%
1948	2,630	43.19%	3,378	55.47%	82	1.35%
1944	2,961	48.43%	3,132	51.23%	21	0.34%
1940	3,714	50.16%	3,675	49.63%	16	0.22%
1936	2,947	41.52%	3,861	54.40%	290	4.09%
1932	2,426	36.44%	4,176	62.72%	56	0.84%
1928	3,375	51.18%	3,193	48.42%	26	0.39%
1924	2,850	47.67%	1,604	26.83%	1,525	25.51%
1920	3,601	66.46%	1,717	31.69%	100	1.85%
1916	1,562	48.86%	1,560	48.80%	75	2.35%
1912	750	23.92%	1,416	45.17%	969	30.91%
1908	1,530	50.10%	1,408	46.10%	116	3.80%
1904	1,823	59.93%	1,096	36.03%	123	4.04%
1900	1,944	56.30%	1,420	41.12%	89	2.58%
1896	1,929	55.24%	1,507	43.16%	56	1.60%
1880	1,066	52.67%	285	14.08%	673	33.25%
1876	1,194	65.79%	600	33.06%	21	1.16%
1872	772	73.80%	130	12.43%	144	13.77%
1868	674	63.95%	380	36.05%	0	0.00%
1864	419	65.57%	220	34.43%	0	0.00%

See also

• Iowa portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Howard 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. "Howard County, Iowa - History". Howard County, Iowa. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  162.
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 17, 2014.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
12. "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau – American FactFinder. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. About the Society
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
16. "2020 Iowa President Election Results". desmoinesregister.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.

External links

• Howard County Development Commission's website
• Howard County Government Website

43°21′27″N92°18′56″W / 43.35750°N 92.31556°W / 43.35750; -92.31556