Tama County, Iowa

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

Taimah, from A.R. Fulton's Red Men of Iowa 1882

Tama County Template:IPAc-en is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,135.<ref name=cen2020>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Toledo.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was formed on February 17, 1843<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki people.<ref>Tama County</ref>

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 (0.1%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Grundy County (northwest)
Black Hawk County (northeast)
Benton County (east)
Poweshiek County (south)
Marshall County (west)
Iowa County (southeast)
Jasper County (southwest)

Demographics

Template:US Census population

File:TamaCountyIowaPop2020.png

Population of Tama County from US census data

2020 census

File:TamaCountyIA2022PopPyr.png

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 17,135 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. 93.80% of the population reported being of one race. There were 7,575 housing units, of which 6,784 were occupied.<ref name=cen2020/>

Tama County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	13,284	77.52%
Black or African American (NH)	125	0.73%
Native American (NH)	1,258	7.34%
Asian (NH)	80	0.5%
Pacific Islander (NH)	2	0.01%
Other/Mixed (NH)	582	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	1,804	10.53%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 17,767 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. There were 7,766 housing units, of which 6,947 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 17,767 people, 7,018 households, and 4,968 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 7,583 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 90.38% White, 0.25% Black or African American, 6.09% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 3.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,018 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 18.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,419, and the median income for a family was $43,646. Males had a median income of $30,723 versus $22,597 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,097. About 7.60% of families and 10.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list - 2010 Map, 2010 Text list</ref>

There is also a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-affiliated tribal school, Meskwaki Settlement School.

The largest of which is South Tama Community School District, at the 3A designation. Second largest is North Tama Community Schools. Lastly both GMG and Meskwaki Settlement School with an eight-man designation.Template:Citation needed<ref>South Tama County | Home of the Trojans! Web. March 26, 2011.<http://www.s-tama.k12.ia.us/></ref><ref>Meskwaki Settlement School. Web. March 26, 2011.<http://www.msswarriors.org/></ref><ref>Welcome to North Tama County Community Schools. Web. March 26, 2011.<http://www.n-tama.k12.ia.us/></ref><ref>New Page 1. Web. March 26, 2011.<http://www.garwin.k12.ia.us/>.</ref>

Communities

Cities

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

File:Meskwaki Settlement, Iowa.jpg

Meskwaki Settlement water tower

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Tama County is divided into twenty-one townships: Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	Tama	City	3,130
2	† Toledo	City	2,369
3	Traer	City	1,583
4	Dysart	City	1,281
5	Sac and Fox/Meskwaki Settlement	AIAN	1,120
6	Le Grand (mostly in Marshall County)	City	905
7	Gladbrook	City	799
8	Garwin	City	481
9	Chelsea	City	229
10	Clutier	City	213
11	Montour	City	203
12	Elberon	City	184
13	Lincoln	City	121
14	Vining	City	54

Notable people

George R. Struble (1836–1918). Iowa judge and politician from Toledo. Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, 1881–1883. Ardent prohibitionist. Brother of John T. Struble of Johnson County, and Congressman Isaac S. Struble of Plymouth County. Biography in the Journal of the House, memorial resolution of March 23, 1921.
Michael Emerson, born in Cedar Rapids and raised in Toledo, Emerson has been on Broadway and appeared on Lost.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Clifford Berry (1918-1963), born in Gladbrook, was a graduate student at Iowa State when he and John Vincent Atanasoff created the Atanasoff–Berry Computer (ABC), the first digital electronic computer, in 1939.

Politics

Between 1888 and 1984, Tama County was a reliable bellwether county, backing the nationwide winner in every presidential election except for 1916 and 1960. For the next seven election cycles, from 1988 to 2012, Tama County backed the Democratic candidate in each election, although George W. Bush came extremely close to winning the county in both 2000 and 2004, losing by slim margins of just 11 and 31 votes respectively. In 2016, Donald Trump moved the county back into the Republican camp, taking nearly 57% of the county's vote and winning it by more than 20%, the best margin in the county for any candidate since Ronald Reagan won the county during his 1980 landslide. Though Trump's margin of victory dropped slightly to just over 19% in 2020, he increased his vote share to almost 59%, the best vote share for a candidate of either party in Tama County since the 1964 landslide victory of Lyndon B. Johnson. 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

IAGenWeb History, Biographies, Records and more

Template:Geographic Location

Template:Tama County, Iowa Template:Iowa Template:Authority control

Template:Coord