Wayne County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wayne County
U.S. county
Wayne County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1846
Named for	Anthony Wayne
Seat	Corydon
Largest city	Corydon
Area
• Total	527 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Land	525 sq mi (1,360 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,497
• Estimate  (2023)	6,557
• Density	12.328/sq mi (4.760/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,497, making it the sixth-least populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Corydon.

History

Wayne County was formed in 1846 but was still attached to other counties for governmental purposes. It was named after General Anthony Wayne.

Its southern border with Missouri was uncertain until the states got a decision from the US Supreme Court in 1848 which held the 1816 Sullivan line (re-marked in 1850), originally run as the northern boundary of an Osage Indian cession. This line is not a true east–west line so the county does not have an exactly rectangular shape.

There had been settlement in this county as early as 1841 by persons thinking they were in Missouri, but the first settlers intending to be in Iowa came about 1848. Its government was organized and the county seat selected in 1851.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 527 square miles (1,360 km²), of which 525 square miles (1,360 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 65
• Iowa Highway 2
• Iowa Highway 14

Adjacent counties

• Lucas County (north)
• Appanoose County (east)
• Putnam County, Missouri (southeast)
• Mercer County, Missouri (southwest)
• Decatur County (west)

Demographics

Population of Wayne County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 6,497 in the county, with a population density of 12.3729/sq mi (4.7772/km²). 97.38% of the population reported being of one race. 95.43% were non-Hispanic White, 0.15% were Black, 0.94% were Hispanic, 0.26% were Native American, 0.38% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 2.80% were some other race or more than one race. There were 3,025 housing units, of which 2,585 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 6,403 in the county, with a population density of 12.1823/sq mi (4.7036/km²). There were 3,212 housing units, of which 2,652 were occupied.

Religion

Religion in Wayne County,according to ARDA (2020)      Mainline Protestant Churches (18.4%)     Anabaptist Churches (Amish) (14.8%)     Evangelical Churches (11.4%)     Catholic Church (0.9%)     None* (54.5%)

*"Nones" is an unclear category. It is a heterogenous group of the not religious and intermittently religious. Researchers argue that most of the "Nones" should be considered "unchurched", rather than objectively nonreligious; especially since most "Nones" do hold some religious-spiritual beliefs and a notable amount participate in behaviors. For example, 72% of American "Nones" believe in God or a Higher Power.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

• Cambria
• Confidence
• Harvard
• New York
• Sewal

Ghost town

• Big Spring

Townships

Population ranking

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

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Wayne (Iowa) para niños