Pottawattamie County () is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 so ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. At the 2020 census, the population was 93,667, making it the tenth-most populous county in Iowa. The county takes its name from the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, Indigenous tribe, or Tribal nation may be any current or historical Tribe (Native American)#Other uses, tribe, band, or nation of Native Americans in ...

. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Council Bluffs Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

. Pottawattamie County is included in the

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

–Council Bluffs, NE–IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Iowa by area after Kossuth County. Pottawattamie County is located within Iowa's

Loess Hills The Loess Hills are a formation of wind-deposited loess soil in the westernmost parts of Iowa and Missouri, and the easternmost parts of Nebraska and Kansas, along the Missouri River. Geology The Loess (, , or ) Hills are generally located be ...

, and was the site of Kanesville along the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the route from Illinois to Utah on which Mormon pioneers (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) traveled from 1846 to 1869. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails Syst ...

. In 2023, Pottawattamie County had the highest corn production in Iowa and the U.S., with over 47 million bushels produced. Due to movement of the Missouri River and a Supreme Court ruling, part of the county, Carter Lake, actually lies on the far side of the Missouri River. This part of the county cannot be reached by road without entering Nebraska; no direct bridge exists.

Major highways

Interstate 29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

Interstate 480 * I-680

Interstate 680 * I-880

Interstate 880 * US 6

U.S. Highway 6 * US 59

U.S. Highway 59 * US 275

U.S. Highway 275 * Elongated circle 83

Iowa Highway 83 Iowa Highway 83 (Iowa 83) is a state highway that runs from east to west in western Iowa. The highway parallels Interstate 80 its entire length. Its western terminus is at U.S. Highway 59 in Avoca. The eastern terminus is in Anita at an inte ...

Iowa Highway 92 Iowa Highway 92 (Iowa 92) is a state highway (Iowa), state highway that runs from east to west across the state of Iowa. Iowa 92 is long and is part of a continuous four-state "Highway 92" which begins in Torrington, Wyoming, goes throug ...

Iowa Highway 165 Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Iowa Highway 191 Iowa Highway 191 (Iowa 191) is a highway in western Iowa. It runs for in a north–south direction. For its entire length, Iowa 191 closely parallels Mosquito Creek and the Bayard Subdivision of the BNSF Railway. Iowa 191 begins at Int ...

Iowa Highway 192

Adjacent counties

* Harrison County (north) * Shelby County (northeast) * Cass County (east) *

Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to: Australia * The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania United Kingdom * The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery United States * Montgomery County, Alabama * Montg ...

(southeast) * Mills County (south) *

Sarpy County, Nebraska Sarpy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,604, making it the third-most populous county in Nebraska. Its county seat is Papillion. Sarpy County is part of the Omaha-Council ...

(southwest) *

Douglas County, Nebraska Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population is 584,526. It is the state's most populous county, home to just under 30% of Nebraska's residents. Its county seat is Omah ...

(west) *

Washington County, Nebraska Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 20,865. Its county seat is Blair. Washington County is part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. In the Nebraska l ...

(northwest)

National protected area

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1958, is located along the banks of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Iowa and Nebraska. The refuge (46% in Iowa, 54% in Nebraska) preserves an area that would have been otherwise lost to cult ...

(part)

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 93,667 in the county, with a population density of . 94.09% of the population reported being of one race. There were 39,852 housing units, of which 37,284 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 93,158 in the county, with a population density of . There were 39,330 housing units, of which 36,775 were occupied.

2000 census

At the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 87,704 people, 33,844 households and 23,623 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 35,761 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.98%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.77%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.27% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 3.30% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 33,844 households, of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.60% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.20% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. 26.00% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $40,089 and the median family income was $47,105. Males had a median income of $31,642 vand females $24,243. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $19,275. About 6.40% of families and 8.40% 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 ...

, including 11.00% of those under age 18 and 6.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Avoca * Carson * Carter Lake *

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

Hancock Hancock may refer to: Places Places in the United States * Hancock, Iowa * Hancock, Maine * Hancock, Maryland * Hancock, Massachusetts * Hancock, Michigan * Hancock, Minnesota * Hancock, Missouri * Hancock, New Hampshire ** Hancock (CDP), New H ...

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

McClelland McClelland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alyssa McClelland, Australian actress * Anthony McClelland, biological father of Lebron James * Charles A. McClelland (1917–2006), American political systems analyst * Charles ...

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...

* Neola *

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

* Treynor *

Underwood Underwood may refer to: People *Underwood (surname), people with the surname Places Australia *Underwood, Queensland, a suburb of Logan City, Australia *Underwood, Tasmania, a locality United Kingdom *Underwood, Devon, a List of United Kingdom ...

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

Unincorporated community

* Honey Creek

Census-designated places

Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of Luxury vehicle, luxury cars and Sport utility vehicle, SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Crickle ...

* Loveland *

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

Townships

* Belknap *

Boomer Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that fol ...

* Carson *

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

* Garner * Grove * Hardin * Hazel Dell *

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

Kane Kane or KANE may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Fictional entities *Kane (comics), the main character of the eponymous comic book series by Paul Grist * Kane (''Command & Conquer''), Tiberium universe character in the ''Command & Conquer'' ...

* Keg Creek * Knox *

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

* Layton *

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

* Neola * Norwalk * Pleasant * Rockford * Silver Creek *

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

* Waveland *

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Population ranking

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

Law enforcement

Pottawattamie County is served by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office consisting of 51 sworn deputies, 13 reserve deputies, 92 detention officers and eight civilian support staff. Its headquarters is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Politics

Pottawattamie County is a strongly Republican county. The county last backed a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964 as the party won nationally by a landslide, & only voted Democratic in four other elections prior to that. Some recent elections were more competitive, with

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

losing the county in 2008 by less than 1,000 votes. However,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

won the county by 21% in 2016, by 17% in 2020, and by 20% in 2024.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> *

Atlantic Community School District Atlantic Community School District (ACSD) is a public school district headquartered in Atlantic, Iowa. The district is mostly in Cass County and also occupies parts of Audubon and Pottawattamie counties. The district serves Atlantic and Marn ...

AHSTW Community School District A-H-S-T-W Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Avoca, Iowa. The district, with about of area, serves sections of Cass, Harrison, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties. It serves Avoca, Hancock, Shelby, ...

Council Bluffs Community School District The Council Bluffs Community School District is a public school district headquartered in the city of Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. The district serves most of the city of Council Bluffs and the cities of Carter Lake and Crescent. S ...

* Glenwood Community School District * Griswold Community School District * Lewis Central Community School District * Missouri Valley Community School District * Red Oak Community School District * Riverside Community School District * Treynor Community School District *

Tri-Center Community School District The Tri-Center Community School District is a rural state school, public school district headquartered in Neola, Iowa. The district spans northern Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County and southern Harrison County, Iowa, Harrison C ...

* Underwood Community School District There is also a state-operated school,

Iowa School for the Deaf Iowa School for the Deaf is a pre-K to 12th grade school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It serves students who live in Iowa and Nebraska. History The founders of Iowa School for the Deaf were Edmund Boot ...

. Former school districts: *

A-H-S-T Community School District A-H-S-T Community School District was a school district headquartered in Avoca, Iowa. The district served sections of Harrison, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties. It served Avoca, Hancock, Shelby, and much of Tennant. History It was forme ...

Text list
/ref> *

Walnut Community School District Walnut Community School District was a school district headquartered in Walnut, Iowa. History The first school in Walnut began operations in 1872. In 1875 the school had 25 students; that year its first permanent building, with a cost of $5,000, ...

Notable people

* Nina Korgan (1916—2009), women’s fast-pitch softball pitcher

Notes

References

External links

Pottawattamie County Government's website

Pottawattamie County Assessor's website
{{Coord, 41, 20, N, 95, 32, W, type:adm2nd_region:US-IA, display=title Pottawattamie County, Iowa Iowa placenames of Native American origin 1848 establishments in Iowa Iowa counties on the Missouri River Populated places established in 1848