Barnum is a city in

Webster County, Iowa Webster County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,999. The county seat is Fort Dodge. The county was established in January 1851, one of 43 counties established by a legislative package. This c ...

, United States, just off

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

. The population was 175 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Barnum is at (42.506660, -94.364575). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has an area of , all land. Barnum lies at the southeastern margin (rim) of

Manson crater The Manson crater is an impact crater near the site of Manson, Iowa where an asteroid or comet nucleus struck the Earth during the Cretaceous Period, approximately 74 Ma. It was one of the largest known impact events to have happened in Nor ...

, an impact structure buried by glacial

till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

and

outwash An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and ca ...

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 191 people, 73 households, and 53 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 77 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.0% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 73 households, of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age in the city was 36.5 years. 30.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 55.5% male and 44.5% female. In 2024 Barnum briefly went viral after some broad dumped em out for the Google Street View camera

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 195 people, 67 households, and 51 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 70 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00%

of any race were 1.03% of the population. There were 67 households, out of which 58.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were

living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.33. In the city, the population was spread out, with 38.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,000, and the median income for a family was $42,083. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $20,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,252. About 12.2% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 57.1% of those 65 or over.

Education

Barnum lies within the

Manson–Northwest Webster Community School District Manson–Northwest Webster Community School District (MNW) is a rural public school district headquartered in Manson, Iowa. It operates an elementary school and a junior–senior high school; the former is in Barnum and the latter is in Manson ...

, and houses the district's elementary school. The district was established on July 1, 1993, with the merger of the

Manson Manson is a surname of Scottish origin.''Manson'' in the Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, p.508 It is an Anglicised version of the Scandinavian name Magnusson, meaning son of Magnus, and a Sept of Clan Gunn. It is p ...

and Northwest Webster districts.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Webster County, Iowa