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Black Hawk County, Iowa facts for kids

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Black Hawk County
U.S. county
Black Hawk County Courthouse in Waterloo
Black Hawk County Courthouse in Waterloo
Official logo of Black Hawk County
Logo
Map of Iowa highlighting Black Hawk County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Iowa
Founded 1843
Named for Black Hawk
Seat Waterloo
Largest city Waterloo
Area
 • Total 573 sq mi (1,480 km2)
 • Land 566 sq mi (1,470 km2)
 • Water 6.9 sq mi (18 km2)  1.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 131,144
 • Density 228.87/sq mi (88.37/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Black Hawk County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 131,144, making it Iowa's fifth-most populous county. The county seat is Waterloo.

Black Hawk County is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls metropolitan area.

History

Black Hawk County was formed on February 17, 1853, from sections of Buchanan County. It was named after Black Hawk, a Sauk leader during the 1832 Black Hawk War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 573 square miles (1,480 km2), of which 566 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km2) (1.2%) is water.

The Cedar River roughly divides the county in half from the northwest to the southeast corner. The land is mostly level since much of it is on the river's flood plain.

Major highways

  • I-380.svg Interstate 380
  • US 20.svg U.S. Highway 20
  • US 63.svg U.S. Highway 63
  • US 218.svg U.S. Highway 218
  • Elongated circle 21.svg Iowa Highway 21
  • Elongated circle 27.svg Iowa Highway 27
  • Elongated circle 57.svg Iowa Highway 57
  • Elongated circle 58.svg Iowa Highway 58
  • Elongated circle 175.svg Iowa Highway 175
  • Elongated circle 281.svg Iowa Highway 281

Transit

  • Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County
  • List of intercity bus stops in Iowa

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1850 135 —
1860 8,244 6,006.7%
1870 21,706 163.3%
1880 23,913 10.2%
1890 24,219 1.3%
1900 32,399 33.8%
1910 44,865 38.5%
1920 56,570 26.1%
1930 69,146 22.2%
1940 79,946 15.6%
1950 100,448 25.6%
1960 122,482 21.9%
1970 132,916 8.5%
1980 137,961 3.8%
1990 123,798 −10.3%
2000 128,012 3.4%
2010 131,090 2.4%
2020 131,144 0.0%
2023 (est.) 130,471 −0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2019
BlackHawkCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Black Hawk County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 131,144 in the county, with a population density of 229.5011/sq mi (88.6109/km2). 94.55% of the population reported being of one race. 73.49% were White, 10.43% were Black, 4.92% were Hispanic, 0.32% were Native American, 2.61% were Asian, 0.65% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 7.57% were some other race or more than one race. There were 58,559 housing units of which 54,223 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 131,090 in the county, with a population density of 231.20/sq mi (89.27/km2). There were 55,887 housing units, of which 52,470 were occupied.

BlackHawkCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Black Hawk County from ACS 5-year estimates

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Townships

Black Hawk County is divided into seventeen townships:

  • Barclay
  • Bennington
  • Big Creek
  • Black Hawk
  • Cedar
  • Cedar Falls
  • Eagle
  • East Waterloo
  • Fox
  • Lester
  • Lincoln
  • Mount Vernon
  • Orange
  • Poyner
  • Spring Creek
  • Union
  • Washington

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Black Hawk County.

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Waterloo City 67,314
2 Cedar Falls City 40,713
3 Evansdale City 4,561
4 Hudson City 2,546
5 Jesup (mostly in Buchanan County) City 193 (2508 total)
6 La Porte City City 2,284
7 Elk Run Heights City 1,069
8 Janesville (mostly in Bremer County) City 115 (1034 total)
9 Washburn CDP 870
10 Dunkerton City 842
11 Gilbertville City 794
12 Raymond City 759

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Black Hawk para niños

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