Pottawattamie County, Iowa


Pottawattamie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. At the 2020 census, its population was 93,667, making it the tenth-most populous county in Iowa. The county takes its name from the Potawatomi Native American tribe. The county seat is Council Bluffs.
Pottawattamie County is included in the Omaha–Council Bluffs, NE–IA metropolitan statistical area.
WWW pottcounty.com

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which are covered by water. It is the second-largest county in Iowa by area after Kossuth County. Pottawattamie County is located within Iowa's Loess Hills, and was the site of Kanesville along the Mormon Trail.
In 2023, Pottawattamie County had the highest corn production in Iowa and the U.S., with over 47 million bushels produced.
Due to movement of the Missouri River and a Supreme Court ruling, part of the county, Carter Lake, actually lies on the far side of the Missouri River. This part of the county cannot be reached by road without entering Nebraska; no direct bridge exists.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 93,667, a population density of, and 94.09% of residents reported being of one race. There were 39,852 housing units, of which 37,284 were occupied.
The median age was 40.1 years. 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.
RaceNum.Perc.
White 79,18184.53%
Black or African American 1,8362%
Native American 3910.42%
Asian 7730.83%
Pacific Islander 760.08%
Other/Mixed 3,7504%
Hispanic or Latino7,6608.2%

The racial makeup of the county was 86.8% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.6% from some other race, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.2% of the population.
73.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 26.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 37,284 households in the county, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.0% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of the county's 39,852 housing units, 6.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.6% were owner-occupied and 32.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.7%.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 93,158 in the county, with a population density of. There were 39,330 housing units, of which 36,775 were occupied.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 87,704 people, 33,844 households and 23,623 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 35,761 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.98% White, 0.77% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 3.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 33,844 households, of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.20% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.
26.00% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.
The median household income was $40,089 and the median family income was $47,105. Males had a median income of $31,642 and females $24,243. The per capita income was $19,275. About 6.40% of families and 8.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.00% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Census-designated places

Townships

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Pottawattamie County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† 'Council BluffsCity62,799
2Carter LakeCity3,791
3AvocaCity1,683
4OaklandCity1,524
5TreynorCity1,032
6UnderwoodCity954
7NeolaCity918
8CarsonCity766
9WalnutCity747
10CrescentCity628
11MindenCity600
12MacedoniaCity267
13HancockCity200
14McClellandCity146
15BentleyCDP93
16WestonCDP78
17LovelandCDP36
18Shelby' City11

Law enforcement

Pottawattamie County is served by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office consisting of 51 sworn deputies, 13 reserve deputies, 92 detention officers and eight civilian support staff. Its headquarters is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Politics

Pottawattamie County is a strongly Republican county. The county last backed a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964 as the party won nationally by a landslide, & only voted Democratic in four other elections prior to that. Some recent elections were more competitive, with Barack Obama losing the county in 2008 by less than 1,000 votes. However, Donald Trump won the county by 21% in 2016, by 17% in 2020, and by 20% in 2024.

Education

School districts include:
There is also a state-operated school, Iowa School for the Deaf.
Former school districts:

Notable people