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Marion County, Iowa facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Marion, Iowa.
Quick facts for kids
Marion County
U.S. county
Marion County Courthouse in Knoxville
Map of Iowa highlighting Marion 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 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 Increase
 • 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 located in the state of Iowa in the United States. In 2020, about 33,414 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Knoxville.

The county is named after Francis Marion. He was a brave general from South Carolina. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, which was when America became independent.

Exploring Marion County's Land

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Marion County covers a total area of about 571 square miles. Most of this area, about 555 square miles, is land. The rest, about 16 square miles, is water. This means about 2.8% of the county is covered by water.

Main Roads in Marion County

These are some of the important roads that go through Marion County:

  • Circle sign 5.svg Iowa Highway 5
  • Elongated circle 14.svg Iowa Highway 14
  • Elongated circle 92.svg Iowa Highway 92
  • Elongated circle 163.svg Iowa Highway 163
  • Elongated circle 316.svg Iowa Highway 316

Neighboring Counties

Marion County shares its borders with several other counties:

Who Lives in Marion County?

MarionCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Marion County from US census data

The number of people living in Marion County has changed over many years. You can see how the population has grown or shrunk in the table below.

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

Looking at the 2020 Census

MarionCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Marion County from ACS 5-year estimates

In 2020, the census counted 33,414 people in Marion County. This means there were about 58 people living in each square mile. Most people (96.24%) said they belonged to one race. About 91.15% were non-Hispanic White. Other groups included Black (0.87%), Hispanic (2.09%), Native American (0.21%), and Asian (1.20%). A small number were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (0.06%). About 4.41% were of another race or more than one race.

There were 14,073 places where people could live (housing units). Out of these, 13,145 were being lived in.

Looking at the 2010 Census

The 2010 census showed that 33,309 people lived in Marion County. There were about 60 people per square mile. At that time, there were 13,914 housing units. Of these, 12,723 were occupied.

Towns and Communities

Marion County has several cities and smaller communities.

Cities in Marion County

Smaller Communities (Unincorporated)

These places are not officially cities or towns, but they are communities where people live:

Township Areas

Counties are often divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Marion County:

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

How Big Are the Communities?

Red Rock Lake and Dam Iowa
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.

This table shows the population of the cities and towns in Marion County, based on the 2020 census. The largest city is at the top.

† This symbol means it's the county seat (the main town).

Rank City/Town/etc. 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

Images for kids

  • Marion Cty, Iowa Farmer w mule drawn wagon, 1920s

    A farmer in Marion County with a wagon pulled by mules, around 1926.

  • Two Farmboys on pony, 1937

    Two farm boys in Iowa riding a pony, around 1937.

  • Iowa Farm Boy riding hog, 1941

    An Iowa farm boy riding a hog, around 1941.

  • Farm house and Barn yard, Marion County, IA, 1957

    A farm house and barn yard near Pleasantville, 1957.

  • Cows in pasture - Marion County, IA Farm 1957

    Cows grazing in a farm pasture, 1957.

  • Farmer getting coal, winter 1957

    A farmer collecting coal in December 1957.

  • Farm barnyard Dec. 1957

    A farm barnyard in December 1957.

  • P'ville farm and silo

    A farm barnyard with a silo, 1960.

See also

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

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