Marion County, Iowa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Marion County
U.S. county
Marion County Courthouse in Knoxville
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1845
Named for	Francis Marion
Seat	Knoxville
Largest city	Pella
Area
• Total	571 sq mi (1,480 km²)
• Land	555 sq mi (1,440 km²)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km²) 2.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	33,414
• Estimate (2023)	33,770
• Density	58.52/sq mi (22.594/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Marion County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,414. The county seat is Knoxville. It is named for Francis Marion, a brigadier general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.

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

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 571 square miles (1,480 km²), of which 555 square miles (1,440 km²) is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) (2.8%) is water.

Major highways

Iowa Highway 5
Iowa Highway 14
Iowa Highway 92
Iowa Highway 163
Iowa Highway 316

Adjacent counties

Jasper County (north)
Mahaska County (east)
Monroe County (southeast)
Lucas County (southwest)
Warren County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	5,482	—
1860	16,813	206.7%
1870	24,436	45.3%
1880	25,111	2.8%
1890	23,058	−8.2%
1900	24,159	4.8%
1910	22,995	−4.8%
1920	24,957	8.5%
1930	25,727	3.1%
1940	27,019	5.0%
1950	25,930	−4.0%
1960	25,886	−0.2%
1970	26,352	1.8%
1980	29,669	12.6%
1990	30,001	1.1%
2000	32,052	6.8%
2010	33,309	3.9%
2020	33,414	0.3%
2023 (est.)	33,770	1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

Population of Marion County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 33,414 in the county, with a population density of 58.4743/sq mi (22.5771/km²). 96.24% of the population reported being of one race. 91.15% were non-Hispanic White, 0.87% were Black, 2.09% were Hispanic, 0.21% were Native American, 1.20% were Asian, 0.06% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.41% were some other race or more than one race. There were 14,073 housing units, of which 13,145 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 33,309 in the county, with a population density of 60.1018/sq mi (23.2054/km²). There were 13,914 housing units, of which 12,723 were occupied.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Attica
Cloud
Columbia
Flagler
Otley
Pershing
Tracy

Townships

Clay
Dallas
Franklin
Indiana
Knoxville
Lake Prairie
Liberty
Pleasant Grove
Red Rock
Summit
Union
Washington

Population ranking

Red Rock Lake and Dam in Marion County near Pella. Elk Rock State Park is situated on both sides of the lake to the northwest. County road T15 crosses over the dam.

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	Pella	City	10,464
2	† Knoxville	City	7,595
3	Pleasantville	City	1,676
4	Melcher-Dallas	City	1,195
5	Bussey	City	387
6	Harvey	City	236
7	Hamilton	City	119
8	Swan	City	76
9	Marysville	City	44