Jasper County, Iowa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Jasper County
U.S. county
Jasper County Courthouse in Newton
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1846
Named for	William Jasper
Seat	Newton
Largest city	Newton
Area
• Total	733 sq mi (1,900 km²)
• Land	730 sq mi (1,900 km²)
• Water	2.5 sq mi (6 km²) 0.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	37,813
• Density	51.59/sq mi (19.918/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Jasper County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,813. The county seat is Newton. The county was organized in 1846 and is named after Sergeant William Jasper, a Revolutionary War hero.

Jasper County is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Communities
Notable people
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 733 square miles (1,900 km²), of which 730 square miles (1,900 km²) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) (0.3%) is water. The North and South Skunk River flow through the county. Bodies of water include Lake Mariposa and Rock Creek.

Major highways

Interstate 80
U.S. Highway 6
U.S. Highway 65
Iowa Highway 14
Iowa Highway 117
Iowa Highway 163
Iowa Highway 224
Iowa Highway 330

Adjacent counties

Marshall County (north)
Poweshiek County (east)
Mahaska County (southeast)
Marion County (south)
Polk County (west)
Story County (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	1,280	—
1860	9,883	672.1%
1870	22,116	123.8%
1880	25,963	17.4%
1890	24,943	−3.9%
1900	26,976	8.2%
1910	27,034	0.2%
1920	27,855	3.0%
1940	31,496	—
1950	32,305	2.6%
1960	35,282	9.2%
1970	35,425	0.4%
1980	36,425	2.8%
1990	34,795	−4.5%
2000	37,213	6.9%
2010	36,842	−1.0%
2020	37,813	2.6%
2023 (est.)	37,919	2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

Population of Jasper County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 37,813 in the county, with a population density of 51.5449/sq mi (19.9016/km²). 96.04% of the population reported being of one race. There were 16,132 housing units, of which 14,994 were occupied.

Jasper County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	34,445	91.1%
Black or African American (NH)	683	1.8%
Native American (NH)	91	0.24%
Asian (NH)	215	0.57%
Pacific Islander (NH)	30	.08%
Other/Mixed (NH)	1,262	3.33%
Hispanic or Latino	1,087	3%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 36,842 in the county, with a population density of 50.4692/sq mi (19.4863/km²). There were 16,181 housing units, of which 14,806 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

(part)

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Buena Vista
Clear Creek
Des Moines
Elk Creek
Fairview
Hickory Grove
Independence
Kellogg
Lynn Grove
Malaka
Mariposa
Mound Prairie
Newton
Palo Alto
Poweshiek
Richland
Rock Creek
Sherman
Washington

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Newton	City	15,760
2	Mitchellville (mostly in Polk County)	City	2,485
3	Colfax	City	2,255
4	Monroe	City	1,967
5	Prairie City	City	1,700
6	Baxter	City	962
7	Sully	City	881
8	Kellogg	City	606
9	Lynnville	City	380
10	Mingo	City	302
11	Oakland Acres	City	176
12	Lambs Grove	City	174
13	Reasnor	City	152
14	Valeria	City	39

Notable people

John M. Haines, tenth Governor of Idaho; born in Jasper County.
Lyle Goodhue, chemist and inventor, born in Jasper County.
Sara Haines, American television host and journalist.

Jasper County, Iowa facts for kids

Contents