Clarke 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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,748. 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 ...

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Vsse Yvholv in Muscogee language, Creek, also spelled Asi-yahola), named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfa ...

. 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, 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 (0.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy of ...

(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 bo ...

– 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 * Elongated_circle_152

Iowa Highway 152 - short east-west connection between I-35 exit 36 and US-69 just north of Osceola

Transit

* Osceola station

Communities

Cities

* Murray *

* Weldon * Woodburn

Unincorporated communities

* Hopeville * Jamison * Lacelle *

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

*Ottawa *

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

Townships

* Doyle * Franklin * Fremont * Green Bay * Jackson * Knox *

* Madison *

Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...

* Ward * 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 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 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 (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 3,934 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.64%

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 ...

, 0.11%

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 ...

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

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 ...

, 1.96% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 4.04% 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 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 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, 8.30% 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 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 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 ...

, 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 five times between 1896 & 1984. The county was reliably Democratic from 1988 to 1996 and Democratic-leaning from 2000 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 is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

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