Malcom is a city in

Poweshiek County, Iowa Poweshiek County is a County (United States), county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 18,662. The county seat is Montezuma, Iowa, Montezuma. The county is named for the c ...

, United States. The population was 270 at the time of the 2020 census. The city was named for an early Scotch settler. The town's major businesses include

BASF BASF SE (), an initialism of its original name , is a European Multinational corporation, multinational company and the List of largest chemical producers, largest chemical producer in the world. Its headquarters are located in Ludwigshafen, Ge ...

, The Pour House Bar and Grill, and Dayton Meat Products.

History

Prior to the treaty of May 1, 1843, the area of what is now Malcom was Sauk and

Meskwaki The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...

lands. Though there were a few settlers earlier, by 1858, the population justified the formation of a township. The railroad was extended from

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

in 1863, and the village was laid out on the Little Bear Creek. The town was incorporated on April 23, 1872. The town was badly damaged in the 2020 derecho, when a resident died and several grain silos were toppled.

Education

The first school in Malcom was established in 1855, consisting of six students. In 1864, the Malcom Independent School was established. By 1880, there were 136 pupils in the school. The first high school was started in 1885, though only three years were offered, and many students went to Grinnell to complete their work. The first graduating class of seven students, all girls, was in 1888. A modern two-story brick schoolhouse was dedicated in November 1903. In 1923–24, a new addition was built at a cost of $38,000. During this time, there were also nine rural one room schools in the township. The last class to graduate from Malcom High School was in 1960, as the school merged with schools in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

to form the

BGM Community School District The Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom (BGM) Community School District, or BGM Community School, serves the towns of Brooklyn, Guernsey and Malcom and surrounding areas in eastern Poweshiek County, Iowa. The school, which serves all grade levels PreK� ...

. The Malcom school was then converted to an elementary school.

Geography

Malcom is located at (41.707486, -92.555373). 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. The town is located just north of

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 ...

. Little Bear Creek runs through the southern edge of town.

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 270 people, 117 households, and 80 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 326.7 inhabitants per square mile (126.1/km²). There were 132 housing units at an average density of 159.7 per square mile (61.7/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 95.6%

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 ...

, 0.0% Black or African American, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% 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 ...

, 0.7% from other races and 3.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

persons of any race comprised 1.9% of the population. Of the 117 households, 32.5% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% 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, 8.5% were cohabitating couples, 24.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present and 17.9% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present. 31.6% of all households were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. The median age in the city was 45.5 years. 21.5% of the residents were under the age of 20; 4.1% were between the ages of 20 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 and 44; 27.4% were from 45 and 64; and 23.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 287 people, 132 households, and 86 families living in the city. The

was . There were 143 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.6%

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, and 0.7% 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 132 households, of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age in the city was 47.9 years. 17.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 31.4% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.0% male and 47.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 352 people, 144 households, and 102 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.43%

, 0.28% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population. There were 144 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,167, and the median income for a family was $55,417. Males had a median income of $28,194 versus $19,286 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 $17,059. About 8.0% of families and 9.3% 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 10.6% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Cities in Iowa Cities in Poweshiek County, Iowa