Jackson County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 sover ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the 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: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,485. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Maquoketa.

History

The county was formed on December 21, 1837, and named after US President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

. In the early morning of July 22, 2022, an assailant killed three members of a family at the campground of

Maquoketa Caves State Park Maquoketa Caves State Park is a state park of Iowa, United States, located in Jackson County. It stands northwest of the city of Maquoketa. In 1991 on the east side of the park were listed as a historic district on the National Register of Histo ...

, located in the county. The assailant, identified as 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, later committed suicide.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water. Its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

* U.S. Highway 67 *

Iowa Highway 62 Iowa Highway 62 (Iowa 62) is a state highway in eastern Iowa. The highway begins in Maquoketa at Iowa 64, goes through Andrew, and ends in Bellevue at U.S. Highway 52 a few yards (meters) from the Mississippi River. The route has been o ...

Iowa Highway 64 Iowa Highway 64 (Iowa 64) is a state highway that runs through two counties in east central Iowa. It begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 151 (US 151) in Anamosa and ends at the Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Miss ...

Adjacent counties

* Dubuque County (north) *

Jo Daviess County Jo Daviess County () is the northwesternmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 22,678. Its county seat is Galena. Jo Daviess County is part of the Tri-State Area and is located near D ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

(northeast) * Carroll County,

(east) *

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York ** Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, ...

(south) * Jones County (west)

National protected areas

Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois. It is a non-contiguous collection of parcels in the vicinity of the Upper Mississippi Ri ...

(part) *

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a ,Maquoketa Caves State Park Maquoketa Caves State Park is a state park of Iowa, United States, located in Jackson County. It stands northwest of the city of Maquoketa. In 1991 on the east side of the park were listed as a historic district on the National Register of Histo ...

* Bellevue State Park

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 19,485 in the county, with a population density of . 97.42% of the population reported being of one race. 93.53% were non-Hispanic White, 0.78% were Black, 1.22% were Hispanic, 0.22% were Native American, 0.24% were Asian, 0.99% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.03% were some other race or more than one race. There were 9,241 housing units, of which 8,305 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 19,848 in the county, with a population density of . There were 9,415 housing units, of which 8,289 were occupied.

2000 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 2000, there were 20,296 people, 8,078 households, and 5,589 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,949 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.96%

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 ...

, 0.10%

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 o ...

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 ens ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.09%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.11%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.15% 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 0.47% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were

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. There were 8,078 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% 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, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,529, and the median income for a family was $42,526. Males had a median income of $29,334 versus $20,577 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 $17,329. About 7.70% of families and 10.30% 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 13.90% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

the three-member Jackson County Board of Supervisors is Larry McDevitt, Mike Steines, and Jack Willey. Their Executive Assistant is LuAnn Goeke.

Sheriff's office

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is the primary

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

located in the county. The headquarters for the Sheriff's Department are in

Maquoketa, Iowa Maquoketa () is a city in Jackson County, Iowa, United States. Located on the Maquoketa River, it is the county seat of Jackson County. U.S. Route 61 adjoins the city, which therefore hosts traffic between Dubuque and the Quad Cities. Iowa Highwa ...

. The department is led by an elected

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

. The Sheriff is Brent Kilburg.

Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services

Fire protection in the county is left up to the discretion of the cities within the county. The towns of Maquoketa, Preston, Miles, Springbrook, Sabula, Baldwin, Bellevue, Andrew and La Motte all have their own fire departments providing protection for the whole county. Most city fire departments also provide rescue services. Fire equipment usually consists of Engines, Tankers and brush trucks as well as most fire departments owning a Rescue truck. The Maquoketa Fire department also owns a Ladder truck. Most firefighters certify as Iowa Firefighter One and HAZMAT Operations and some also are certified as EMTs. The towns of Maquoketa, Preston, Sabula and Bellevue also have their own Ambulance Services which provide coverage for the county while towns not having ambulances have First Responder units and contract ambulance response to a nearby community. All firefighters in Jackson County are volunteers and most EMS personnel are also volunteers however the Maquoketa Ambulance Service is a paid service. All Jackson County departments are members of the Jackson County Firefighters Association and the Iowa Firefighters Association. Mutual Aid Agreements from surrounding Iowa counties as well as the state of Illinois are in place to provide additional help during emergencies which tax the county emergency resources beyond their limits.

Townships

Jackson County is divided into 18

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

, administrative subdivisions of the county: *

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. It may refer to: Placenames Australia * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Glebe, an historic house in Sydney, New South Wales Canada ...

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

* Fairfield * Farmers Creek *

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, Qu ...

* Maquoketa *

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

* Otter Creek *

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

* Prairie Springs * Richland * South Fork * Tete Des Morts *

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

* Van Buren *

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Hospital

Jackson County has one Hospital in Maquoketa, the Jackson County Regional Health Center. the hospital is under the administration of

Genesis Healthcare Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

. Patients near Maquoketa are transported to this hospital, while patients closer to

will most likely be taken to Mercy Medical Center in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Cl ...

. Some patients closer to Dubuque County are taken to Mercy or Finley Hospitals, both in the city of

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

Election results

Prior to 1988, Jackson County was a Republican-leaning swing county, only failing to back the national winner six times between 1880 & 1984. The county was reliably Democratic from 1988 to 2012, but swung by 18% 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 Pe ...

in 2016. In 2020 Donald Trump carried Jackson County with 62% of the vote over Joseph Biden 36%.https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/2020/general/canvsummary.pdf

Communities

Incorporated communities

Unincorporated communities

* Canton‡ * Cottonville * Emeline * Garryowen * Green Island *

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

* Otter Creek * South Garry Owen

Former communities

*Alma *Amoy *America *Bridgeport *Brookfield *Buckhorn *Canton *Carrollport *Centerville *Charleston *Charkstown *Cobb *Coloma *Copper Creek *Cottonville *Crabb *Crabb's Mill *Crabbtown *Deventersville *Duggan *Duke *Fremont *Fulton *Gordon's Ferry *Hickory Grove *Higginsport *Hugo *Hurstville *Fairfield *Farmers Creek *Franklin *Iron Hill *East Iron Hills *Isabel *Lowell *Millrock *Mount Algor *Nashville *New Castle *New Rochester *North Maquoketa *Otter Creek *Ozark *Pass *Prairie Springs *Rolley *Silsbee *Smiths Ferry *Springfield *Spruce Mills *Sterling *Sullivan *Summer Hill *Sylva *Tetes des Morts *Union Center *Van Buren *Wagonersburgh *Waterford *Wickliffe

Bibliography

* Sorensen, Lucille. Holihan, Grace. ''Ghost Towns of Jackson County Iowa/History of Jackson County, Vol. 1'', Jackson County Historical Society 1988 and 2000.

References

External links

Official Jackson County Government WebsiteJackson County Economic Development Council's websiteJackson County Government Overview WebpagesJackson County Historical Society
{{authority control 1837 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1837 Iowa counties on the Mississippi River