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Howard County, Iowa facts for kids

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Howard County
Howard County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Howard 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 1851
Named for Tilghman Howard
Seat Cresco
Largest city Cresco
Area
 • Total 474 sq mi (1,230 km2)
 • Land 473 sq mi (1,230 km2)
 • Water 0.4 sq mi (1 km2)  0.08%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,469
 • Density 19.977/sq mi (7.713/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Howard County is a county located in the US state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,469. The county seat is Cresco. The county was founded in 1851; it was named for General Tilghman Ashurst Howard, a Representative of Indiana.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 474 square miles (1,230 km2), of which 473 square miles (1,230 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) (0.08%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 63.svg U.S. Highway 63
  • Circle sign 9.svg Iowa Highway 9
  • Elongated circle 139.svg Iowa Highway 139

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 3,168
1870 6,282 98.3%
1880 10,837 72.5%
1890 11,182 3.2%
1900 14,512 29.8%
1910 12,920 −11.0%
1920 13,705 6.1%
1930 13,082 −4.5%
1940 13,531 3.4%
1950 13,105 −3.1%
1960 12,734 −2.8%
1970 11,442 −10.1%
1980 11,114 −2.9%
1990 9,809 −11.7%
2000 9,932 1.3%
2010 9,566 −3.7%
2020 9,469 −1.0%
2023 (est.) 9,376 −2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
HowardCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Howard County from US census data

2020 census

HowardCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Howard County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 9,469 in the county, with a population density of 19.9387/sq mi (7.6984/km2). 96.75% of the population reported being of one race. 91.69% were non-Hispanic White, 0.24% were Black, 2.72% were Hispanic, 0.51% were Native American, 0.29% were Asian, 0.07% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.48% were some other race or more than one race. There were 4,314 housing units, of which 3,945 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,566 in the county, with a population density of 20.207/sq mi (7.802/km2). There were 4,367 housing units, of which 3,944 were occupied.

Events

The Mighty Howard County Fair is held annually in Cresco, in the last full week of June. This celebration originated in 1858, and three fairs were celebrated before being interrupted by the American Civil War. They resumed from 1866 through 1899, and were resumed in 1923 under aegis of the present directorship.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Afton
  • Albion
  • Chester
  • Forest City
  • Howard
  • Howard Center
  • Jamestown
  • New Oregon
  • Oak Dale
  • Paris
  • Saratoga
  • Vernon Springs

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 Cresco City 3,888
2 Riceville (partially in Mitchell County) City 806
3 Elma City 505
4 Lime Springs City 473
5 Protivin (partially in Chickasaw County) City 269
6 Chester City 139

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Howard (Iowa) para niños

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