Page County, Iowa

Page County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,211. The county seat is Clarinda. The county is named in honor of Captain John Page of the 4th U.S. Infantry, who was mortally wounded in the Battle of Palo Alto.

WWW Official Site

Geography

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

Major highways

Transit

Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 15,211 and a population density of.
The median age was 43.3 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 112.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 112.8 males age 18 and over.
95.71% of the population reported being of one race. The racial makeup of the county was 91.1% White, 2.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.1% of the population.
66.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 33.8% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,212 households in the county, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.0% were married-couple households, 20.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 6,983 housing units, of which 6,212 were occupied; 11.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 69.2% were owner-occupied and 30.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.9%.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,932 in the county, with a population density of. There were 7,181 housing units, of which 6,393 were occupied.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 16,976 people, 6,708 households, and 4,460 families in the county. The population density was. There were 7,302 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.11% White, 1.66% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 1.56%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 6,708 households 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 29.90% of households were one person and 15.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87.
The age distribution was 23.30% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 19.80% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males.
The median household income was $35,466 and the median family income was $42,446. Males had a median income of $32,549 versus $21,526 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,670. About 8.10% of families and 12.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Townships

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Page County.
† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population
1	† 'Clarinda	City	5,369
2	Shenandoah	City	4,925
3	Essex	City	722
4	Coin	City	176
5	College Springs	City	172
6	Shambaugh	City	159
7	Braddyville	City	147
8	Yorktown	City	60
9	Northboro	City	52
10	Blanchard	City	29
11	Hepburn'	City	26

History

A fire on December 11, 1991, heavily damaged the Page County Courthouse. The fire was believed to have started in the attic and spread throughout much of the building. Multiple area fire departments fought the blaze and saved the structure. Court services were relocated to several buildings in Clarinda and other areas of Page County as repairs were made to the courthouse. After years of work, the courthouse was re-occupied in March 1994.

Politics

Page County has consistently voted Republican since the Civil War, with the exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932. Roosevelt lost the county in 1936 despite winning nationally by a larger margin than in 1932. In the 2024 presidential election, Page County was the only county in Iowa to shift toward the Democratic candidate compared to 2020, with a margin change of 0.7 percentage points.