Des Moines County, Iowa

Des Moines County, Iowa
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded	1834
Seat	Burlington
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	429.80 sq mi (1,113 km²) 416.15 sq mi (1,078 km²) 13.65 sq mi (35 km²), 3.18%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	40,325 97/sq mi (37/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.des-moines.ia.us
Footnotes: Population [1]

Des Moines County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 40,325 in the 2010 census, a decline from 42,351 in the 2000 census.^[1][2] The county seat is Burlington.^[3] The county is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of Iowa's two original counties along with Dubuque County; both were organized by the Michigan Territorial legislature in 1834.

Des Moines County should not be confused with the city of Des Moines, which is the capital of Iowa. Des Moines County sits on Iowa's eastern border alongside the Mississippi River. The city of Des Moines is in Polk County in south-central Iowa.

History

Des Moines County was formed on October 1, 1834. It was named after the Des Moines River. ^[4] The current Des Moines County Court House was completed in 1940.^[5]

Geography

The U.S. Highway 34 bridge over the Mississippi River in Burlington

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 429.80 square miles (1,113.2 km²), of which 416.15 square miles (1,077.8 km²) (or 96.82%) is land and 13.65 square miles (35.4 km²) (or 3.18%) is water.^[6]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 34
• U.S. Highway 61

Adjacent counties

• Louisa County (north)
• Hancock County, Illinois (southeast), across the Mississippi River
• Henderson County, Illinois (east), across the Mississippi River
• Lee County (south)
• Henry County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	12,988		—
1860	19,611		51.0%
1870	27,256		39.0%
1880	33,099		21.4%
1890	35,324		6.7%
1900	35,989		1.9%
1910	36,145		0.4%
1920	35,520		−1.7%
1930	38,162		7.4%
1940	36,804		−3.6%
1950	42,056		14.3%
1960	44,605		6.1%
1970	46,982		5.3%
1980	46,203		−1.7%
1990	42,614		−7.8%
2000	42,351		−0.6%
2010	40,325		−4.8%
Iowa Data Center [2]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 40,325 in the county, with a population density of 96.9002/sq mi (37.4134/km²). There were 18,535 housing units, of which 17,003 were occupied.^[1]

2000 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Des Moines County

As of the 2000 census, ^[7] there were 42,351 people, 17,270 households, and 11,536 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile (39/km²). There were 18,643 housing units at an average density of 45 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.69% White, 3.57% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 1.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,270 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 28.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,790, and the median income for a family was $45,089. Males had a median income of $34,880 versus $22,530 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,701. About 8.20% of families and 10.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Incorporated Cities

Burlington Danville

Mediapolis Middletown

West Burlington

Unincorporated communities

Augusta

Kingston

Sperry

Yarmouth

Townships

Pleasant Grove

Yellow Springs

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Des Moines County, Iowa

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010". United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST05&prodType=table. Retrieved May 9, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Data from the 2010 Census". State Data Center of Iowa. http://www.iowadatacenter.org/archive/2011/02/feb10. Retrieved May 9, 2011. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ Des Moines County
5. ^ Svendsen, Marlvs A.. "PWA-Era County Courthouses of IA MPS". National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/64500856.pdf. Retrieved 2011-02-09. 
6. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
7. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

Iowa portal

• County Govenment website

Coordinates: 40°55′40″N 91°11′02″W / 40.92778°N 91.18389°W / 40.92778; -91.18389