Wright County, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wright County
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Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
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 Iowa's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Iowa |
| Founded | January 15, 1851 |
| Named for | Silas Wright |
| Seat | Clarion |
| Largest city | Eagle Grove |
| Area | |
| • Total | 582 sq mi (1,510 km2) |
| • Land | 580 sq mi (1,500 km2) |
| • Water | 1.8 sq mi (5 km2) 0.3% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 12,943 |
| • Density | 22.239/sq mi (8.586/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
Wright County is a special area in the state of Iowa, USA. It's called a county. In 2020, about 12,943 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Clarion.
Wright County started in January 1851. People think it was named after either Silas Wright or Joseph Albert Wright. Both were governors of different states.
Contents
Exploring Wright County's Land
Wright County covers about 582 square miles. Most of this area is land, around 580 square miles. Only a small part, about 1.8 square miles, is water. That's about 0.3% of the total area. The land here is mostly gently rolling hills. The Boone and Iowa Rivers flow through the county.
Main Roads in Wright County
These are the important highways that cross through Wright County:
Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 69
Iowa Highway 3
Iowa Highway 17
Neighboring Counties
Wright County shares its borders with several other counties:
- Hancock County to the north
- Cerro Gordo County to the northeast
- Franklin County to the east
- Hardin County to the southeast
- Hamilton County to the south
- Webster County to the southwest
- Humboldt County to the west
- Kossuth County to the northwest
People of Wright County
The number of people living in Wright County has changed over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 2,392 | — | |
| 1880 | 5,062 | 111.6% | |
| 1890 | 12,057 | 138.2% | |
| 1900 | 18,227 | 51.2% | |
| 1910 | 17,951 | −1.5% | |
| 1920 | 20,348 | 13.4% | |
| 1930 | 20,216 | −0.6% | |
| 1940 | 20,038 | −0.9% | |
| 1950 | 19,652 | −1.9% | |
| 1960 | 19,447 | −1.0% | |
| 1970 | 17,294 | −11.1% | |
| 1980 | 16,319 | −5.6% | |
| 1990 | 14,269 | −12.6% | |
| 2000 | 14,334 | 0.5% | |
| 2010 | 13,229 | −7.7% | |
| 2020 | 12,943 | −2.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 12,656 | −4.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018 |
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What the 2020 Census Showed
In 2020, the county had 12,943 people. This means there were about 22 people living in each square mile. Most people, about 93.48%, said they belonged to one race. There were 6,260 homes, and 5,404 of them were lived in.
Here's a look at the different groups of people in Wright County:
| Group | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 10,107 | 78.1% |
| Black or African American | 73 | 0.6% |
| Native American | 15 | 0.12% |
| Asian | 67 | 0.52% |
| Pacific Islander | 8 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 279 | 2.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,394 | 18.5% |
Learning in Wright County
Wright County has many schools for kids of all ages.
Schools for Kids and Teens
Here are some of the school districts in the county:
- Belmond-Klemme Community School District
- Cal Community School District
- Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District
- Eagle Grove Community School District
- Humboldt Community School District
- West Fork Community School District
- West Hancock Community School District
- Webster City Community School District
Some school districts have changed over time. For example, Clarion-Goldfield and Dows school districts joined together in 2014.
Three school districts in Wright County have high schools:
- Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District teaches about 954 students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
- Eagle Grove Community School District teaches about 836 students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
- Belmond-Klemme Community School District teaches about 793 students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Colleges and Higher Education
For students who want to continue their education after high school, there are options nearby. Iowa State University has an office in Clarion. Also, colleges like Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls are not too far away. Iowa Central Community College even started offering online classes in Clarion and Eagle Grove in 2015.
News and Media
Wright County has a few local newspapers. These papers share news about the towns and people in the area. Some of them are the Wright County Monitor, the Eagle Grove Eagle, and the Belmond Independent.
The Wright County Fair
The first Wright County Fair was held in Clarion. The fair moved to Goldfield in 1925 and then to its current spot in Eagle Grove in 1926. It's now called the Wright County District Junior Fair. Kids from Wright County and several nearby counties can enter their projects and animals in the fair.
Towns and Areas in Wright County
Wright County has several cities and smaller communities.
Cities in Wright County
Small Communities (Unincorporated)
These are places that are not officially cities:
- Holmes, Iowa
Townships
Counties are often divided into smaller areas called townships. Here are the townships in Wright County:
- Belmond
- Blaine
- Boone
- Dayton
- Eagle Grove
- Grant
- Iowa
- Lake
- Liberty
- Lincoln
- Norway
- Pleasant
- Troy
- Vernon
- Wall Lake
- Woolstock
How Cities Rank by Population
This table shows the cities in Wright County from largest to smallest, based on the 2020 census.
† This symbol means it's the county seat (main town).
| Rank | City/Town | Type | Population (2020 Census) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eagle Grove | City | 3,601 |
| 2 | † Clarion | City | 2,810 |
| 3 | Belmond | City | 2,463 |
| 4 | Goldfield | City | 634 |
| 5 | Dows (partially in Franklin County) | City | 521 |
| 6 | Woolstock | City | 144 |
| 7 | Rowan | City | 123 |
| 8 | Galt | City | 26 |
