Howard County, Iowa


Howard County is a county located in the US state of Iowa. As of the 2020 [United States census|2020 census], the population was 9,469. The county seat and the largest city is Cresco. The county was founded in 1851; it was named for General Tilghman Ashurst Howard, a Representative of Indiana.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Major highways

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,469, with a population density of. The median age was 41.7 years, 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18, and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.9 males age 18 and over. 96.75% of the population reported being of one race.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.4% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 3.3% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 2.7% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,945 households in the county, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.7% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Of the 4,314 housing units, 3,945 were occupied, leaving 8.6% vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.0% were owner-occupied and 22.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.3%.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,566 in the county, with a population density of. There were 4,367 housing units, of which 3,944 were occupied.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 9,932 people, 3,974 households and 2,650 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 4,327 housing units at an average density of. 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.

Communities

Cities

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Howard County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† 'CrescoCity3,888
2Riceville City806
3ElmaCity505
4Lime SpringsCity473
5Protivin City269
6Chester'City139

Notable people

From 1972 [United States presidential election in Iowa|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. Trump improved yet again in 2024, taking more than 65% of the vote in the county. Overall, Howard County shifted to the right from 2012 to 2024 by 53 percentage points, representing one of the strongest such rightward shifts for any county in the country.