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Jefferson County, Iowa facts for kids

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Jefferson County
Courthouse in Fairfield is on the NRHP
Courthouse in Fairfield is on the NRHP
Map of Iowa highlighting Jefferson 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 January 21, 1839
Named for Thomas Jefferson
Seat Fairfield
Largest city Fairfield
Area
 • Total 437 sq mi (1,130 km2)
 • Land 436 sq mi (1,130 km2)
 • Water 1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 15,663
 • Estimate 
(2021)
15,647
 • Density 35.84/sq mi (13.839/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st
Website https://jeffersoncounty.iowa.gov/

Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 15,663. The county seat is Fairfield. The county was formed in January 1839, and was named for U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson County comprises the Fairfield, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 437 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 436 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) (0.3%) is water. The Skunk River flows southward through the NE part of the county, while the SW part of the county is drained by the nearby Des Moines River, which flows southeastward through Van Buren and Wapello counties.

Major highways

  • US 34.svg U.S. Highway 34
  • Circle sign 1.svg Iowa Highway 1
  • Elongated circle 78.svg Iowa Highway 78

Transit

  • List of intercity bus stops in Iowa

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 9,904
1860 15,038 51.8%
1870 17,839 18.6%
1880 17,469 −2.1%
1890 15,184 −13.1%
1900 17,437 14.8%
1910 15,951 −8.5%
1920 16,440 3.1%
1930 16,241 −1.2%
1940 15,762 −2.9%
1950 15,696 −0.4%
1960 15,818 0.8%
1970 15,774 −0.3%
1980 16,316 3.4%
1990 16,310 0.0%
2000 16,181 −0.8%
2010 16,843 4.1%
2020 15,663 −7.0%
2023 (est.) 15,440 −8.3%
US Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
JeffersonCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Jefferson County from US census data

2020 census

JeffersonCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Jefferson County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 15,663 in the county, with a population density of 35.9000/sq mi (13.8611/km2). There were 7,689 housing units, of which 6,902 were occupied.

Jefferson County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 13,425 85.71%
Black or African American (NH) 409 2.61%
Native American (NH) 43 0.27%
Asian (NH) 500 3.2%
Pacific Islander (NH) 9 .06%
Other/Mixed (NH) 667 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino 610 4%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 16,843 in the county, with a population density of 38.6893/sq mi (14.9380/km2). There were 7,594 housing units, of which 6,846 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

  • Abingdon
  • Beckwith
  • East Pleasant Plain
  • Germanville
  • Glasgow
  • Perlee
  • Salina

Townships

  • Black Hawk
  • Buchanan
  • Cedar
  • Center
  • Des Moines
  • Liberty
  • Lockridge
  • Locust Grove
  • Penn
  • Polk
  • Round Prairie
  • Walnut

Population ranking

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

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 Fairfield City 9,416
2 Batavia City 430
3 Maharishi Vedic City City 277
4 Libertyville City 274
5 Lockridge City 244
6 Packwood City 183
7 Pleasant Plain City 84
8 Coppock (mostly in Henry and Washington Counties) City 36

See also

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

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