Clarke County is a county located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,748. The county seat is

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a Scotsman, James McQ ...

. The county was formed in January 1846, one of twelve counties established by legislative action in a comprehensive act. It was named for James Clarke, a Governor of the Iowa Territory.

History

The first courthouse for Clarke County was a wood frame two–story structure in Osceola. In 1883 it was replaced with a brick structure on former park area in the town square. By the 1950s this building was insufficient, and the present modern structure was completed in 1956. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

Geography

According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Decatur County (south) * Lucas County (east) * Madison County (northwest) * Union County (west) * Warren County (northeast)

Highways

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

- runs north–south through central Clarke County, passing Osceola * US 34

U.S. Highway 34 - runs east–west through central Clarke County, passing Osceola * US 69

U.S. Highway 69 - enters northeastern Clarke County, runs southwest to Osceola, then south to south line of county

Transit

* Osceola station *

List of intercity bus stops in Iowa The following is a list of presently operating intercity bus stops in Iowa with regular service. The list excludes charter buses, local transit buses, paratransit systems, and trolleybus systems. The following companies provide intercity bus serv ...

Communities

Cities

* Murray *

* Weldon * Woodburn

Unincorporated communities

* Hopeville * Jamison * Lacelle *

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

*Ottawa * Smyrna

Townships

* Doyle *

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

* Fremont * Green Bay *

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, ...

* Knox *

* Madison *

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Çan ...

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

* Washington

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 9,748 in the county, with a population density of . 93.18% of the population reported being of one race. There were 4,268 housing units of which 3,871 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,286 in the county, with a population density of . There were 4,086 housing units, of which 3,701 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,133 people, 3,584 households, and 2,498 families residing in the county. 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 RosenberPop ...

was 21 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 3,934 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.64%

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 ...

, 0.11%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

, 0.33% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Oce ...

, 1.96% 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 0.58% from two or more races. 4.04% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties form ...

or Latino of any race. There were 3,584 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% 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, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,474, and the median income for a family was $42,171. Males had a median income of $29,648 versus $20,522 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $16,409. About 6.20% of families and 8.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 12.10% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Clarke County. † ''county seat''

Politics

Prior to 1988, Clarke County was a Republican-leaning swing county, only failing to back the national winner four times between 1896 & 1984. The county was reliably Democratic from 1988 to 2012, but made a 29.5 point swing to back

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

in 2016.

References

{{Coord, 41, 01, 22, N, 93, 47, 11, W, region:US-IA_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki, display=title 1846 establishments in Iowa Territory Populated places established in 1846