Winnebago County, Iowa

Winnebago County
County
Winnebago County Courthouse in Forest City
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°22′44″N93°43′55″W / 43.378888888889°N 93.731944444444°W / 43.378888888889; -93.731944444444
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1847
Named for	Winnebago tribe
Seat	Forest City
Largest city	Forest City
Area
• Total	402 sq mi (1,040 km2)
• Land	400 sq mi (1,000 km2)
• Water	3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	10,679
• Density	27/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.winnebagocountyiowa.gov

Winnebago County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,679. ^[1] The county seat is Forest City. ^[2] The county was founded in 1847 and named after the Native American tribe. It is the location of the motor homes manufacturer Winnebago Industries.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 402 square miles (1,040 km²), of which 400 square miles (1,000 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[3] It is Iowa's fifth-smallest county by land area and second-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

• Faribault County, Minnesota (northwest)
• Freeborn County, Minnesota (northeast)
• Worth County (east)
• Hancock County (south)
• Kossuth County (west)
• Cerro Gordo County (southeast)

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 69
• Iowa Highway 9

Airport

• Forest City Municipal Airport

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	168		—
1870	1,562		829.8%
1880	4,917		214.8%
1890	7,325		49.0%
1900	12,725		73.7%
1910	11,914		−6.4%
1920	13,489		13.2%
1930	13,143		−2.6%
1940	13,972		6.3%
1950	13,450		−3.7%
1960	13,099		−2.6%
1970	12,990		−0.8%
1980	13,010		0.2%
1990	12,122		−6.8%
2000	11,723		−3.3%
2010	10,866		−7.3%
2020	10,679		−1.7%
2023 (est.)	10,571	[4]	−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [5] 1790-1960 [6] 1900-1990 [7] 1990-2000 [8] 2010-2018 [9]

Population of Winnebago County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 10,679 in the county, with a population density of 26.5947/sq mi (10.2683/km²). 96.07% of the population reported being of one race. There were 5,077 housing units, of which 4,512 were occupied. ^[1]

Winnebago County Racial Composition ^[10]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	9,472	88.7%
Black or African American (NH)	204	2%
Native American (NH)	13	0.1%
Asian (NH)	94	0.9%
Pacific Islander (NH)	3	0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH)	299	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	594	5.6%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,866 in the county, with a population density of 27.1331/sq mi (10.4762/km²). There were 5,194 housing units, of which 4,597 were occupied. ^[11]

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 11,723 people, 4,749 households, and 3,181 families in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11 people/km²). There were 5,065 housing units at an average density of 13 units per square mile (5.0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.37% white, 0.18% black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 2.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. ^[12] Of the 4,749 households 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 29.40% of households were one person and 14.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91.

The age distribution was 24.10% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median household income was $38,381 and the median family income was $47,306. Males had a median income of $30,720 versus $22,509 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,494. About 5.00% of families and 8.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

History

"When the first white settlers came into the county, and for some years thereafter, roving bands of Winnebago Indians made their temporary home within the limits of the county. At times there would be as many as one hundred living along the Lime Creek valley or about Coon Grove, and at other times there would be but a mere handful ... During the summer seasons they would cache their cooking utensils, leave their tepees standing and go northward into Minnesota to hunt and trap. At that time the Winnebago agency was located about forty miles north of Forest City." The Winnebago were removed after the Dakota War of 1862. ^[13]

Initial settlement was in the wooded eastern third of the county, with prairie and marshy areas in the west being settled after 1880. ^[14] Early teachers in Winnebago County were required to be able to converse in the language of their pupils. Many of the county's pioneers were of Norwegian descent. ^{[15] [14]}

The oldest standing structure in the county is Trinity Church, built in 1874. ^[16]

In 1938, the Winnebago Rural Electric Cooperative was established. The first section of lines was energized on January 3, 1940. ^[17]

A 1951 movie by the Rural Electrification Administration featured local residents describing the struggles for adequate phone service in Winnebago County, prior to the federal loan which enabled the Winnebago Cooperative Telephone Association to convert the area to modern dial service. ^[18]

The Winnebago Industries RV manufacturing company was founded in Forest City in 1958. ^[19]

The Winnebago Historical Society is located in the Mansion Museum in Forest City. ^[20]

Communities

Cities

• Buffalo Center
• Forest City
• Lake Mills
• Leland
• Rake
• Scarville
• Thompson

Townships

• Buffalo
• Center
• Eden
• Forest
• Grant
• King
• Lincoln
• Linden
• Logan
• Mount Valley
• Newton
• Norway

Population ranking

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

†county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Forest City (partially in Hancock County )	City	4,285
2	Lake Mills	City	2,143
3	Buffalo Center	City	857
4	Thompson	City	495
5	Leland	City	249
6	Rake	City	186
7	Scarville	City	74

Politics

Winnebago County has backed the statewide winner in every presidential election since 1996 with the exception of 2012, when it backed losing Republican Mitt Romney by just 3 votes over incumbent Democrat Barack Obama.

United States presidential election results for Winnebago County, Iowa ^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,707	62.09%	2,135	35.76%	128	2.14%
2016	3,447	59.56%	1,931	33.37%	409	7.07%
2012	2,906	49.10%	2,903	49.05%	109	1.84%
2008	2,730	44.86%	3,254	53.48%	101	1.66%
2004	3,175	53.34%	2,707	45.48%	70	1.18%
2000	2,662	48.16%	2,691	48.69%	174	3.15%
1996	2,211	40.05%	2,679	48.52%	631	11.43%
1992	2,407	39.60%	2,322	38.20%	1,349	22.19%
1988	2,863	50.20%	2,804	49.17%	36	0.63%
1984	3,616	57.27%	2,669	42.27%	29	0.46%
1980	3,808	58.77%	2,208	34.08%	463	7.15%
1976	3,315	52.24%	2,950	46.49%	81	1.28%
1972	4,300	64.48%	2,324	34.85%	45	0.67%
1968	3,543	59.51%	2,163	36.33%	248	4.17%
1964	2,331	38.74%	3,677	61.11%	9	0.15%
1960	4,082	62.33%	2,463	37.61%	4	0.06%
1956	3,926	60.84%	2,521	39.07%	6	0.09%
1952	4,574	70.38%	1,905	29.31%	20	0.31%
1948	2,636	48.36%	2,626	48.17%	189	3.47%
1944	2,808	51.24%	2,654	48.43%	18	0.33%
1940	3,308	51.78%	3,051	47.76%	29	0.45%
1936	2,592	43.73%	3,133	52.86%	202	3.41%
1932	2,012	36.59%	3,281	59.67%	206	3.75%
1928	3,386	70.09%	1,268	26.25%	177	3.66%
1924	2,445	47.27%	225	4.35%	2,502	48.38%
1920	3,931	87.08%	469	10.39%	114	2.53%
1916	1,713	72.92%	584	24.86%	52	2.21%
1912	532	23.85%	390	17.48%	1,309	58.67%
1908	1,710	76.07%	489	21.75%	49	2.18%
1904	2,002	89.45%	174	7.77%	62	2.77%
1900	2,052	79.63%	474	18.39%	51	1.98%
1896	1,912	72.12%	714	26.93%	25	0.94%

See also

• Iowa portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Winnebago 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. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
5. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
6. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
7. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
8. "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 20, 2014.
9. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
10. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Winnebago County, Iowa".
11. "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. Pioneer Publishing Company (Chicago) (1917). History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement . New York Public Library. Chicago, The Pioneer Publishing Company.
14. "Winnebago County". IAGenWeb - History. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
15. Centennial Book Committee (1992). A peek at the past ... Thompson, Iowa, 1892-1992. A good place to call home. p. 48.
16. "Trinity Church". Winnebago Historical Society. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
17. Centennial Book Committee (1992). A peek at the past ... Thompson, Iowa, 1892-1992. A good place to call home. pp. 22–23.
18. Centennial Book Committee (1992). A peek at the past ... Thompson, Iowa, 1892-1992. A good place to call home. pp. 25–26.
19. Goldfield, Raymond (October 24, 2022). "Take A Tour Of The World's Largest RV Factory In Iowa". MSN. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
20. "Museum". Winnebago Historical Society. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 28, 2018.

Further reading

• History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa. Vol. 1. Chicago: Pioneer Publishing Company. 1917. (History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa at the Internet Archive )
• History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa. Vol. 2. Chicago: Pioneer Publishing Company. 1917. (History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa at the Internet Archive )

External links

• Winnebago County website

43°22′44″N93°43′55″W / 43.37889°N 93.73194°W / 43.37889; -93.73194