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Wapello County, Iowa facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Wapello, Iowa.
Quick facts for kids
Wapello County
U.S. county
The courthouse in Ottumwa
The courthouse in Ottumwa
Map of Iowa highlighting Wapello 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 1843
Named for Wapello
Seat Ottumwa
Largest city Ottumwa
Area
 • Total 436 sq mi (1,130 km2)
 • Land 432 sq mi (1,120 km2)
 • Water 4.2 sq mi (11 km2)  1.0%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 35,437
 • Density 81.28/sq mi (31.38/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Wapella
Chief Wapello; "Wa-pel-la the Prince, Musquakee Chief", from History of the Indian Tribes of North America.

Wapello County is a county in the state of Iowa, USA. In 2020, about 35,437 people lived here. The main city and government center is Ottumwa.

Wapello County was created on February 17, 1843. It was named after Chief Wapello, a leader of the Meskwaki people. Ottumwa, the largest city, is also the center of a "Micropolitan Statistical Area." This means it's a city and the nearby areas that are closely connected.

About the Land

Wapello County covers a total area of about 436 square miles. Most of this area, about 432 square miles, is land. The rest, about 4.2 square miles, is water.

Main Roads

You can travel through Wapello County using several important roads:

  • US 34.svg U.S. Highway 34
  • US 63.svg U.S. Highway 63
  • Elongated circle 16.svg Iowa Highway 16
  • Elongated circle 137.svg Iowa Highway 137
  • Elongated circle 149.svg Iowa Highway 149

Nearby Counties

Wapello County shares borders with these other counties:

People and Population

WapelloCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Wapello County from US census data

The number of people living in Wapello County has changed over the years. Here's how the population has grown and shrunk:

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1850 8,471 —
1860 14,518 71.4%
1870 22,346 53.9%
1880 25,285 13.2%
1890 30,426 20.3%
1900 35,426 16.4%
1910 37,743 6.5%
1920 37,937 0.5%
1930 40,480 6.7%
1940 44,280 9.4%
1950 47,397 7.0%
1960 46,126 −2.7%
1970 42,149 −8.6%
1980 40,241 −4.5%
1990 35,696 −11.3%
2000 36,051 1.0%
2010 35,625 −1.2%
2020 35,437 −0.5%
2023 (est.) 35,166 −1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018

What the 2020 Census Showed

WapelloCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Wapello County from ACS 5-year estimates

In 2020, the census counted 35,437 people in Wapello County. This means there were about 81 people living in each square mile. There were 15,734 homes, and 14,167 of them were lived in.

The census also looked at the different backgrounds of the people living in the county:

Wapello County Racial Composition
Race Number of People Percentage
White 27,295 77.02%
Black or African American 1,443 4.1%
Native American 66 0.2%
Asian 622 1.8%
Pacific Islander 518 1.5%
Other/Mixed 1,161 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4,332 12.22%

Towns and Communities

Wapello County has several cities and smaller communities.

Cities

Smaller Communities (Unincorporated)

These places are not officially cities or towns, but people live there:

Townships

Counties in Iowa are divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Wapello County:

  • Adams
  • Agency
  • Cass
  • Center
  • Columbia
  • Competine
  • Dahlonega
  • Green
  • Highland
  • Keokuk
  • Pleasant
  • Polk
  • Richland
  • Washington

City Populations (2020 Census)

This table shows the population of the cities in Wapello County, from largest to smallest.

† county seat (the main city for the county government)

Rank City/Town/etc. Type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Ottumwa City 25,529
2 Eddyville (partially in Mahaska and Monroe Counties) City 970
3 Eldon City 783
4 Agency City 620
5 Blakesburg City 274
6 Kirkville City 157
7 Chillicothe City 76

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Wapello para niños

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