Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Population loss: Iowa rural counties are emptying out


Quimby, Iowa.   Cherokee County
Peak 1980 population: 424; 2020 population: 249

Almost all of its rural counties continue to lose population.



New York Times, 4/27/2021


Whiter and grayer.  The population of Cherokee County has decreased 41% since its 1930 peak.  The county is 93% white (non-Hispanic)and 25% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Cherokee Cpounty fell hard for Trump.



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The population of Page County has decreased 41% since its 1930 peak.  The county is 91% white (non-Hispanic), and 23% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.

Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Page County fell for Trump.



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Battle Creek, Iowa.   Ida County
Peak 1980 population: 919; 2020 population: 700

The population of Ida County has decreased 43.3% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 94.4% white (non-Hispanic), and 22% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Ida County fell hard for Trump.


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Globe Gazette, 9/21/2021
80% of that growth is owed to four of the largest counties in the state; Johnson, Linn, Polk and Scott, while 68 counties throughout Iowa showed losses over the past decade. That includes all of the North Iowa area. 
Over a 10-year period, not a single county in the North Iowa region saw population growth. In fact, the counties of: Butler, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, Worth and Wright each had negative percent change of more than 1.5%. 
The greatest drop, by percentage, was experienced by Franklin County, which went from 10,680 in 2010 to 10,019 in 2020 for a loss of 661 people and a change of -6.2%. Winnebago and Worth each had negative changes of about 1.7% with the former losing 32 more people (187 to 155).

Schaller, Iowa.   Sac County
Peak 1960 population: 896; 2020 population: 729

The population of Sac County has decreased 44.3% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 94% white (non-Hispanic), and 24% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Sac County fell hard for Trump.
 
No surprise that Sac County fell hard for Trump.


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Mallard, Iowa.   Palo Alto County
Peak 1930 population: 449; 2020 population: 257

The population of Palo Alto County has decreased 44.3% since its 1940 peak.  The county is 93% white (non-Hispanic), and 22% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Palo Alto County fell hard for Trump.



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Lakota, Iowa, Kossuth County
Peak 1920 population: 472; 2020 population: 267

The population of Kossuth County has decreased 44.7% since its 1940 peak.  The county is 94% white (non-Hispanic), and 24.4% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Kossuth County fell hard for Trump.



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Drakesvlle, Iowa, Davis County
Peak 1890 population: 303; 2020 population: 164

The population of Davis County has decreased 44.7% since its 1880 peak.  The county is 96% white (non-Hispanic), and 17.7% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.


Wikipedia (and below)


No surprise that Davis County fell hard for Trump.
 

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Williansom, Iowa, Lucas County (CityData)
Peak 1920 population: 814; 2020 population: 120

The population of Lucas County has decreased 46.5% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 96% white (non-Hispanic), and 22.4% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Lucas County fell hard for Trump.
 


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Lohrville, Iowa, Calhoun County (Wikipedia)
Peak 1940 population: 776; 2020 population: 381

The population of Calhoun County has decreased 46.5% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 94% white (non-Hispanic), and 23.5% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Calhoun County fell hard for Trump.
 


The Messenger, 12/20/2019
Graham said employees were probably notified last week, but could not recall the exact date they were given notice. Rockwell City Mayor Phil Heinlen said that the city received notice from an employee Tuesday, as soon as at least one employee apparently said they were told, setting the city in motion to contact chain stores to explore an alternative for the town. 
Graham’s Heartland Market store in Manning will close on Christmas Eve, according to that store’s Facebook page. 
His chain’s Manson grocery store closed on Nov. 10, earlier than the date it initially announced as its last day, as it faced the imminent shut-off of its electricity due to non-payment, according to the store’s manager. 
Employees in Manson were notified the store was closing with a note in their paychecks, a manner of notice that sparked anger and disgust among employees
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Churdan, Iowa, Greene County (Wikipedia)
Peak 1920 population: 763; 2020 population: 365

The population of Greene County has decreased 53.7% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 94% white (non-Hispanic), and 22.5% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Greene County fell hard for Trump.



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The population of Adair County has decreased 53.7% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 95% white (non-Hispanic), and 23% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (andn below)

No surprise that Adair County fell hard for Trump.
 




Iowa Watch, 8/17/2021

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The population of Monona County has decreased 55.3% since its 1940 peak.  The county is 94% white (non-Hispanic), and 25% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Monona County fell hard for Trump.



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The population of Pocahontas County has decreased 58.4% since its 1940 peak.  The county is 92.5% white (non-Hispanic), and 23.4% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Pocahontas County fell hard for Trump.



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The population of Decatur County has decreased 58.4% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 92% white (non-Hispanic), and 20% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Decatur County fell hard for Trump.



WHO, 2/4/2018
There aren’t enough young people. There aren’t enough well-paying jobs. There aren’t as many workers needed on the family farm anymore. This is the situation in Decatur County, but it’s also what life is life in most of Iowa’s other counties, too. A recent state report found 79 of the state’s 99 counties are declining in population. 
Decatur County has the unfortunate distinction of being Iowa’s poorest county when you consider a variety of factors like income, poverty, and opportunities. The county that sits on the southern Iowa/northern Missouri border has just 8,200 people. That is less than half the people who lived there about 150 years ago. 
Sunday, residents were hearing the news that one of the county’s largest employers, Graceland University, planned to lay off 19 workers.
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The population of Audubon County has decreased 58.4% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 96% white (non-Hispanic), and 25% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Audubon County fell hard for Trump.
 



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The population of Van Buren County has decreased 59.2% since its 1870 peak.  The county is 96% white (non-Hispanic), and 22.5% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 

No surprise that Van Buren County fell hard for Trump.
 


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The population of Appanoose County has decreased 59.7% since its 1920 peak.  The county is 95% white (non-Hispanic), and 23% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Appanoose County fell hard for Trump.



KYOU, 8/12/2021
The fastest growing area in the state remained Dallas County west of Des Moines, which grew 50.7% to a population of 99,678 in 2020 from just over 66,000 in 2010. The data shows Johnson, Polk, Warren and Story counties grew more than 10% and 26 counties increased by less than 10%. The remaining 68 counties lost population.
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White and gray.  The population of Keokuk County has decreased 59.8% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 96% white (non-Hispanic), and 22% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)


No surprise that Keokuk County fell hard for Trump.
  



That pretty much sums up county official Michael Berg's response to Washington Post's Wonkblog story Wednesday that examined population decline across Keokuk County. 
The headline of the piece was less than flattering: The places in America that already have their best days behind them. And the poster child WaPo held up for population loss? Southeast Iowa's own Keokuk County.

But then there's this.

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The population of Wayne County has decreased 59.9% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 96% white (non-Hispanic), and 22.5% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
 
Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Wayne County fell hard for Trump.



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The population of Fremont County has decreased 64.4% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 94% white (non-Hispanic), and 23.4% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
i

Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Fremont County fell hard for Trump.



The Valley News, 3/30/2016

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The population of Taylor County has decreased 68.7% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 90% white (non-Hispanic), and 23% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.
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Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Taylor County fell hard for Trump.



Related reading:

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The population of Ringgold County has decreased 69.6% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 95% white, and 23% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.

Wikipedia (and below)(

No surprise that Ringgold County fell hard for Trump.




Related reading:
Only the states of Wyoming, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine have a higher percentage of residents who reported their race as white during the 2020 census. Nationally, the percentage of Americans who identify strictly as white, as opposed to mixed race or another race, is 61.6%. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, 89 counties have a resident population in which at least 80% of the people reported their race strictly as white.
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The population of Monroe County has decreased 70.2% since its 1910 peak.  The county is 95% white, and 20% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.

Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Monroe County fell hard for Trump.



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The population of Adams County has decreased 73% since its 1900 peak.  The county is 96.1% white, and 23.7% of its residents are 65 and older, compared with 17.5% statewide.

Wikipedia (and below)

No surprise that Adams County fell hard for Trump.

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