Madison County, Iowa


Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,548. The county seat is Winterset. Madison County is included in the Des Moines-Des Moines, Iowa|West Des Moines], IA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Madison County is famous for being the county where John Wayne was born, and for a number of covered bridges. These bridges were featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella The Bridges of Madison County, as well as the The [Bridges of Madison County (film)|1995 film] and 2014 musical based on it.

History

Madison County was formed on January 13, 1846. It has been self-governed since 1849. It was named after James Madison, the fourth President of the United States. Hiram Hurst was the first European-American settler in Madison County, having come from Missouri about April 15, 1846.

Geography

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

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 16,548, which gave a population density of. The median age was 41.2 years; 25.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.5 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 95.99% reporting one race, with 94.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.
30.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 69.3% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,436 households in the county, of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.9% were married-couple households, 15.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 6,913 housing units, of which 6.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 80.0% were owner-occupied and 20.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,679 in the county, with a population density of. There were 6,554 housing units, of which 6,025 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,019 people, 5,326 households, and 3,925 families in the county. The population density was. There were 5,661 housing units at an average density of. The Race and ethnicity in [the United States Census#2010 census|racial makeup] of the county was 98.57% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 5,326 households 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.90% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 22.70% of households were one person and 11.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04.
The age distribution was 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median household income was $41,845 and the median family income was $48,289. Males had a median income of $31,126 versus $24,095 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,357. About 4.60% of families and 6.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

Covered bridges

There are six extant covered bridges in Madison County, of the original nineteen:
The remaining covered bridges were designed by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, with the following exceptions: Eli Cox built the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge, and J. P. Clark built the Imes Bridge.

Tunnel

Madison County is home to the only highway tunnel in Iowa, Harmon Tunnel, through the neck of an incised meander of the Middle River in Pammel Park.

Communities

Incorporated Communities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Madison County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
1† 'WintersetCity5,353
2EarlhamCity1,410
3St. CharlesCity640
4TruroCity509
5PattersonCity176
6East PeruCity115
7MacksburgCity97
8Bevington' City57

Politics

For most of its history, Madison County has primarily supported the Republican Party in presidential elections. From 1880 to 1960, the county only failed to back the party's candidate in 1932 when Herbert Hoover was defeated in a national landslide for reelection by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The county was much more of a swing area between 1964 and 1996, voting for the national winner in every presidential election between 1964 and 2004 aside from 1988 when Michael Dukakis was boosted to an inflated margin of victory statewide by a farm crisis. Since the start of the third millennium, Republicans have carried the county in every presidential election. Donald Trump also produced the county's strongest Republican presidential victory since 1952 in 2016, winning by a margin of over 30 percent.