Wapello County, Iowa

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county

Chief Wapello; "Wa-pel-la the Prince, Musquakee Chief", from History of the Indian Tribes of North America.

Wapello County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,437.<ref name=cen2020>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Ottumwa.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was formed on February 17, 1843, and named for Wapello, a Meskwaki chief.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Wapello County is included in the Ottumwa, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.0%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Transit

Adjacent counties

Mahaska County (northwest)
Keokuk County (northeast)
Jefferson County (east)
Davis County (south)
Monroe County (west)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

File:WapelloCountyIowaPop2020.png

Population of Wapello County from US census data

2020 census

File:WapelloCountyIA2022PopPyr.png

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 35,437 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. There were 15,734 housing units, of which 14,167 were occupied.<ref name=cen2020/>

Wapello County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	27,295	77.02%
Black or African American (NH)	1,443	4.1%
Native American (NH)	66	0.2%
Asian (NH)	622	1.8%
Pacific Islander (NH)	518	1.5%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,161	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	4,332	12.22%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,625 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. There were 16,098 housing units, of which 14,552 were occupied.<ref name="USCB">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 36,051 people, 14,784 households, and 9,801 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 15,873 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 96.28% White, 0.93% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 14,784 households, out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $39,224. Males had a median income of $31,346 versus $21,286 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,500. About 9.40% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.00% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over. Template:Clear left

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Template:Div col

Ashland
Bladensburg
Dahlonega
Dudley
Farson
Munterville
Phillips
Pickwick
Ottumwa Junction
Rutledge

Template:Div col end

Townships

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Wapello County.<ref name=cen2020/>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Ottumwa	City	25,529
2	Eddyville (partially in Mahaska and Monroe Counties)	City	970
3	Eldon	City	783
4	Agency	City	620
5	Blakesburg	City	274
6	Kirkville	City	157
7	Chillicothe	City	76

Politics

Between 1864 and 1928, Wapello County backed the Republican candidate in every election except 1912, when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt ran as the Progressive candidate, fracturing the Republican party and allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to take the county with a plurality of the vote of less than 37%. From 1932 to 2012, the county voted Democratic in every election except two, the nationwide Republican landslides of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and Richard Nixon in 1972. Beginning in 2016, Wapello County has shifted back to the Republican column, as Donald Trump carried the county in each of his three runs, winning by a margin of over 20% in 2016 and over 23% in 2020, and over 31% in 2024. Also in 2024, Trump became the first candidate from any party to obtain at least 65% of the county's vote since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and the first Republican to do so since Herbert Hoover in 1928. Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Commons

Official Wapello County website

Template:Geographic Location Template:Wapello County, Iowa Template:Iowa Template:Authority control Template:Coord