Wayne County, Utah

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Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 2,486,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> making it the fourth-least populous county in Utah. Its county seat is Loa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Due to its remoteness and harsh terrain, settlements did not appear in the future Wayne County until the 1880s. By 1892, there was enough settlement and enough interest in a separate county (due mainly to the difficulty of accessing the Piute County seat), that Utah Territory passed an act (effective date March 10, 1892)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to separate the east portion of Piute into a separate county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was named for Wayne County, Tennessee, itself named for Anthony Wayne.<ref>Template:Cite book Template:Dead link</ref> The county boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation.Template:Citation needed

Geography

The eastern border of Wayne County is delineated by the meanders of the Green River, which flows southward to discharge into the Colorado River. After the two rivers join, the combined southwestern flow forms the remaining portion of the county's eastern border. The central part of the county is drained by the Fremont River and Muddy Creek. The Fremont begins at Fish Lake in Sevier County and flows into Wayne County near its northwestern corner. It joins the Muddy near Hanksville to form the Dirty Devil River, which flows southeastward out of the county's southern border to discharge into Colorado. Wayne County terrain varies from rough forestland on the west to arid poor soil carved by drainages and rocky outcrops.<ref name=WCU>Wayne County UT Google Maps (accessed 24 March 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest area is near its NW corner, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.2%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Green River, passing through the canyons of Canyonlands National Park, forms the eastern boundary. The San Rafael Desert occupies the center of the county. Thousand Lake Mountain and Boulder Mountain flank Rabbit Valley on the western end of the county, where forests contrast with the deserts to the east. The small population of the county is centered in Rabbit Valley, with one town of 200, Hanksville, located in Graves Valley north of the Henry Mountains. Wayne County is also home to Capitol Reef National Park.

Abes Knoll Reservoir
Alkali Lake
Bald Knoll Reservoir
Beaver Dam Reservoir
Beef Hollow Reservoir
Bicknell Reservoir
Big Hollow Reservoir
Black Point Reservoir
Blackburn Reservoir
Blind Lake (near Neff Reservoir)
Blind Lake (near Pear Lake)
Blue Lake
Bobs Hole
Brinkerhoff Pond
Buffalo Pond
Bull Roost Reservoir
Bullberry Lakes
Cameron Reservoir
Cedar Peak Lake
Coleman Reservoir
Cook Lake
Cub Lake
Curler Lake
Cyclone Co-op Reservoir
Cyclone Knoll Reservoir
Dead Horse Lake
Deadman Hollow Reservoir
Deep Creek Lake
Donkey Reservoir
Dry Lake Reservoir
East Bicknell Sand Wash Pond
East Gate Reservoir
Eightmile Reservoir
Emily Lake
Evans Reservoir
Fish Creek Reservoir
Flat Top Reservoir
Flatiron Lakes
Flossie Lake
Government Lake
Grass Lake (near Bobs Hole)
Grass Lake (near Torgerson Lake)
Green Lake
Gripe Reservoir
Hare Lake
Heart Lake
Honeymoon Lake
Hunt Reservoir
Jakes Knoll Reservoir
Jane Lake
Jay Pond
Jim Larson Reservoir
Lava Lake
Lee Lake
Left Hand Reservoir
Lightning Lake
Long Hollow Reservoir
Lost Lake
Lower Balsam Reservoir
Lower Reservoir
Meadow Gulch Reservoir
Middle Balsam Reservoir
Middle Reservoir
Mill Meadow Reservoir (part)<ref name=WCU/>
Miller Lake
Mitts Reservoir
Moroni Reservoir
Mud Lake
Ned Reservoir
Neff Reservoir
Ottos Reservoir
Parker Hollow Reservoir
Pass Reservoir
Pear Lake
Petes Pond
Pine Creek Reservoir
Pole Canyon Reservoir
Raft Lake
Right Fork Wildcat Reservoir
Rock Lake
Rock Point Reservoir
Round Lake (near Heart Lake)
Round Lake (near Lower Reservoir)
Sage Reservoir
Smooth Knoll Reservoir
Snow Lake
Snow Lakes
Solitaire Lake
Spray Reservoir
Square Reservoir
Tidwell Reservoir
Torgerson Lake
Twin Lakes
Upper Balsam Reservoir
Vance Reservoir
West Bicknell Pond
West Flat Top Reservoir Number 1
West Flat Top Reservoir Number 2
White Rock Reservoir
Wide Hollow Reservoir
Wildcat Reservoir
Woodys Reservoir

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Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

According to the 2020 United States census<ref name="2020CensusDHC">Template:Cite web</ref> and 2020 American Community Survey,<ref name="2020ACS">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 2,486 people in Wayne County with a population density of 1.0 people per square mile (0.4/km²). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 2,267 (91.2%) White, 1 (0.0%) African American, 19 (0.8%) Native American, 16 (0.6%) Asian, 3 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5 (0.2%) from other races, and 79 (3.2%) from two or more races. 96 (3.9%) people were Hispanic or Latino.

There were 1,239 (49.84%) males and 1,247 (50.16%) females, and the population distribution by age was 536 (21.6%) under the age of 18, 1,334 (53.7%) from 18 to 64, and 616 (24.8%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 47.3 years.

There were 1,064 households in Wayne County with an average size of 2.34 of which 711 (66.8%) were families and 353 (33.2%) were non-families. Among all families, 601 (56.5%) were married couples, 49 (4.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 61 (5.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 307 (28.9%) were a single person living alone and 46 (4.3%) were two or more people living together. 290 (27.3%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 814 (76.5%) of households were owner-occupied while 250 (23.5%) were renter-occupied.

The median income for a Wayne County household was $49,299 and the median family income was $62,069, with a per-capita income of $23,184. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $50,625 and for females $34,653. 10.1% of the population and 6.8% of families were below the poverty line.

In terms of education attainment, out of the 1,822 people in Wayne County 25 years or older, 190 (10.4%) had not completed high school, 346 (19.0%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 848 (46.5%) had some college or associate degree, 374 (20.5%) had a bachelor's degree, and 64 (3.5%) had a graduate or professional degree.

Ancestry and ethnicity

As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Wayne County, Utah were:<ref name="factfinder.census.gov">Template:Cite web</ref>

Largest ancestries (2017)	Percent
English	45.5%
German	16.3%
Dutch	8.4%
Danish	7.6%
Irish	5.8%
Scottish	5.4%
Swedish	3.9%
American	2.3%
Welsh	1.7%
Polish	1.2%

Communities

Towns

Bicknell
Hanksville
Loa (county seat)
Lyman
Torrey

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Former communities

File:Scenery north of Hanksville, Utah.jpg

View north of Hanksville from Route 24. Factory Butte in background.

Politics and government

Wayne County voters are traditionally Republican. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

State elected offices
Position		District	Name	Affiliation	First elected
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Senate	24	Derrin Owens	Republican	2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Representatives	73	Phil Lyman	Republican	2018<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Board of Education	14	Mark Huntsman	Nonpartisan	2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>