Epworth is a city in Dubuque 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 Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,023 at the 2020 census, up from 1,428 in 2000.

History

Epworth was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1855. It was named from the town of Epworth, Lincolnshire,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the birthplace of

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

. Epworth was incorporated as a city on November 20, 1879,

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. Epworth is located along U.S. Route 20, and is approximately 12 miles west of Dubuque.

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 2,023 people, 699 households, and 504 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 1,137.7 inhabitants per square mile (439.3/km²). There were 717 housing units at an average density of 403.2 per square mile (155.7/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 90.9%

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, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.3% 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 ...

, 1.1% from other races and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino persons of any race comprised 1.9% of the population. Of the 699 households, 36.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 5.0% were cohabitating couples, 18.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 14.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 27.9% of all households were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 35.5 years. 28.0% of the residents were under the age of 20; 7.0% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 26.5% were from 25 and 44; 23.6% were from 45 and 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,860 people, 643 households, and 488 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 651 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.9%

, 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 ...

, 4.8% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.2% 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 0.4% of the population. There were 643 households, of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age in the city was 33.1 years. 28.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 9.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.5% male and 48.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,428 people, 476 households, and 364 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 500 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.21%

, 0.49%

, 0.07% Native American, 5.18% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. There were 476 households, out of which 45.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.24. 28.1% are under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,938, and the median income for a family was $47,321. Males had a median income of $35,144 versus $20,234 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 $15,869. About 3.5% of families and 6.2% 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 6.3% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Epworth is the fifth-largest city in Dubuque County with spacious, new subdivisions housing many new residents, a significant portion of whom work in Dubuque, Iowa or elsewhere outside the community. The 11.3% increase in population from 2000 to 2006 places Epworth above the 90th percentile in population growth among municipalities nationwide.

Government

The mayor of Epworth is Sandra Gassman. The council members are Dana Nadermann, Karen Conrad, Dan Wilgenbusch, Tony Krapfl, and Ben Wolf. In the Iowa General Assembly, Epworth is represented by Senator Tom Hancock (D-Epworth) in the Iowa Senate, and Representative Ray Zirkelbach (D-Monticello) in the Iowa House of Representatives. At the federal level, it is within

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southeastern part, bordering the states of Illinois and Missouri, and the Mississippi River. ...

, represented by Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Epworth, and all of Iowa, are represented by U.S. Senators

Chuck Grassley Charles Ernest Grassley (born September 17, 1933) is an American politician serving as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate since 2025, a role he also held from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Re ...

(R) and Tom Harkin (D).

Education

Public schools

All public school students living in Epworth are zoned to schools in the Western Dubuque Community School District. Elementary school students are zoned to Epworth Elementary School (in Epworth) for grades K-5.

Middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

students are zoned to Drexler Middle School (in nearby Farley), and

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

students are zoned to Western Dubuque High School, which is also in Epworth.

Private schools

Like many other rural communities in Iowa, Epworth also has a private school. Seton Catholic Elementary School- Epworth is one of three buildings that comprise Seton Catholic Elementary School, and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque. For grades 1–2, students go to the building in Epworth, for grades 3–5, students attend the building in nearby Peosta, Iowa, and for grades 6–8, students go to the building in nearby Farley. For high school, parochial students attend Beckman High School in Dyersville, Iowa or Wahlert High School in Dubuque, Iowa.

Colleges and universities

Epworth is home to Divine Word College, which is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

seminary.

Notable people

* Tom Hancock (1948-2016) former Iowa state senator. * Henry Waechter (1959– ) former NFL lineman, 1985

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

References

External links

Official site of the City of Epworth, Iowa
Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Epworth {{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Dubuque County, Iowa Populated places established in 1855 1855 establishments in Iowa