Swisher is a city in Johnson County,

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 ...

, United States. It is part of the

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 914 at the time of the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

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 ...

of 2020, there were 914 people, 377 households, and 280 families residing in the city. 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 1,127.5 inhabitants per square mile (435.3/km²). There were 388 housing units at an average density of 478.6 per square mile (184.8/km²). The

racial Race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 16th century, when it was used to refer to groups of va ...

makeup of the city was 94.3%

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 ...

, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 0.2% from other races and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.5% of the population. Of the 377 households, 34.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% 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, 8.0% were cohabitating couples, 18.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 14.6% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 25.7% of all households were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 25.4% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.8% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 and 44; 29.1% were from 45 and 64; and 16.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 879 people, 344 households, and 260 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 350 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.1% from two or more races.

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 were 1.0% of the population. There were 344 households, of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.4% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 813 people, 306 households, and 231 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 317 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.14%

, 0.12%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.25% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population. There were 306 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.3% were

living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.2% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.05. 26.8% are under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $63,667, and the median income for a family was $67,368. Males had a median income of $40,776 versus $30,673 for females. 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 ...

for the city was $24,596. About 0.9% of families and 2.4% 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 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Swisher operates under the mayor-council form of government. The city council consists of five members, elected at large for overlapping four-year terms, and is presided over by a popularly elected mayor, who also serves a four-year term.

Resignation of mayor and city clerk

At a regularly scheduled city council meeting on November 11, 2013, City Clerk Connie Meier and Mayor Tim Mason resigned suddenly, effectively leaving Swisher without any administrative staff. A video of the meeting released to news outlets showed Mason and Meier engaged in an argument with council member Angie Hinrichs over a letter sent to the council from an appointed city official. In the video, Hinrichs repeatedly accused Meier of improperly sharing the letter with a local developer. In response, Meier explained that except for personnel records, all documents in the city's custody are a matter of public record and copies must be given to anyone who asks for them. When Mason tried to come to Meier's defense, Hinrichs threatened to contact the city attorney independently, stating "I just want it on the record that I did not give this because if there's any consequences that come back to the city council, I did not give this to them." It was at this point that Meier left the room. Mason called for a recess and went to speak with Meier. When he returned, he told the council that she had quit and that he too was resigning. The resignations occurred six days after Hinrichs and another council member, Larry Svec, were re-elected to additional four-year terms. With the mayor's seat open, Mayor Pro-Tem Mary Gudenkauf assumed the mayoral duties of the city, as well as those of the city clerk. Gudenkauf would continue to serve as acting mayor until a special election was held in February 2014. Meier would later release a statement which read, in part, "Unfortunately, a couple of council members had made working conditions detrimental to me, making me feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Staying in my position would have enabled these two individuals to continue to treat me in an unacceptable manner."

2014 special election

A special election was held on February 4, 2014, to fill the mayor's seat for the remainder of Tim Mason's term. Christopher J. Taylor, who had run for city council against Angie Hinrichs and Larry Svec in the fall, won the election against long-time Planning and Zoning Commission chairman Randy Hurlbert by a vote of 151 to 136. Voter turnout was the highest ever recorded for an election in Swisher, with 48.2% of registered voters casting ballots. Taylor received the second highest number of votes ever cast for a Swisher mayor, after Scott Grabe received 158 in 2007. Grabe ran unopposed in that election. Taylor took office nine days after the election, on February 13, to serve out the term expiring December 31, 2015. Taylor ran for and won re-election to a full, 4-year term in November 2015. He was unopposed in that election.

References

External links

City-Data
Comprehensive statistical data and more about Swisher {{authority control Cities in Johnson County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Iowa City metropolitan area