Palo Alto County, Iowa

Palo Alto County, Iowa
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded	information needed
Seat	Emmetsburg
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	569.40 sq mi (1,475 km²) 563.83 sq mi (1,460 km²) 5.57 sq mi (14 km²), 0.98%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	9,421 17/sq mi (6/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Footnotes: Population

Palo Alto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is named for the first battlefield victory in the Mexican-American War. The population was 9,421 in the 2010 census, a decline from 10,147 in the 2000 census. The county seat is Emmetsburg.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 569.40 square miles (1,474.7 km²), of which 563.83 square miles (1,460.3 km²) (or 99.02%) is land and 5.57 square miles (14.4 km²) (or 0.98%) is water.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 18
• Iowa Highway 4
• Iowa Highway 15

Adjacent counties

• Emmet County (north)
• Kossuth County (east)
• Pocahontas County (south)
• Clay County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	132		—
1870	1,336		912.1%
1880	4,131		209.2%
1890	9,618		132.8%
1900	14,354		49.2%
1910	13,845		−3.5%
1920	15,486		11.9%
1930	15,398		−0.6%
1940	16,170		5.0%
1950	15,891		−1.7%
1960	14,736		−7.3%
1970	13,289		−9.8%
1980	12,721		−4.3%
1990	10,669		−16.1%
2000	10,147		−4.9%
2010	9,421		−7.2%
Iowa Data Center

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,421 in the county, with a population density of 16.7089/sq mi (6.4514/km²). There were 4,628 housing units, of which 3,994 were occupied.

2000 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Palo Alto County

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,147 people, 4,119 households, and 2,673 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 4,631 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.62% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,119 households out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 30.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 21.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,409, and the median income for a family was $41,808. Males had a median income of $28,344 versus $19,655 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,733. About 6.60% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 9.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities

Ayrshire Curlew Cylinder Emmetsburg Graettinger Mallard Rodman Ruthven West Bend (partially)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Palo Alto County, Iowa

External links

• Palo Alto County Economic Development
•  "Palo Alto, a N. W. county of Iowa". The American Cyclopædia. 1879.