Woodbury County, Iowa

Woodbury County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,941,^[2] making it the sixth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Sioux City.^[3]

Woodbury County
County
Woodbury County Courthouse in Sioux City
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°23′29″N 96°03′03″W
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1851
Named after	Levi Woodbury[1]
Seat	Sioux City
Largest city	Sioux City
Area
• Total	878 sq mi (2,270 km2)
• Land	872.59 sq mi (2,260.0 km2)
• Water	4.79 sq mi (12.4 km2)  0.55%
Population  (2020)
• Total	105,941
• Density	120/sq mi (47/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.woodburycountyiowa.gov

Woodbury County is included in the Sioux City metropolitan area.^[4]

History

Originally established in 1851 as Wahkaw County, the Iowa Legislature in 1853 changed the name to Woodbury County in honor of Levi Woodbury (1789–1851), a senator and governor of New Hampshire who served as a Supreme Court justice from 1844 until his death.

The first county seat of Wahkaw County was the now-extinct village of Thompsonville; when the Legislature changed the county name to Woodbury, the new county seat became Sergeant's Bluff (now Sergeant Bluff). The county seat was moved to Sioux City in 1856.

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (Ho-Chunk) owns reservation land in Woodbury County.

Geography

The county is on the western edge of Iowa, with its western border being the Missouri River.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 878 square miles (2,270 km²), of which 873 square miles (2,260 km²) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[5] It is the third-largest county by area in Iowa.

Major highways

• Interstate 29
• Interstate 129
• U.S. Highway 20
• U.S. Highway 75
• U.S. Highway 77
• Iowa Highway 12
• Iowa Highway 31
• Iowa Highway 140
• Iowa Highway 141
• Iowa Highway 175

Transit

• Sioux City Transit
• List of intercity bus stops in Iowa

Adjacent counties

• Plymouth County (north)
• Cherokee County (northeast)
• Ida County (east)
• Monona County (south)
• Thurston County, Nebraska (southwest)
• Dakota County, Nebraska (west)
• Union County, South Dakota (northwest)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	1,119		—
1870	6,172		451.6%
1880	14,996		143.0%
1890	55,632		271.0%
1900	54,610		−1.8%
1910	67,616		23.8%
1920	92,171		36.3%
1930	101,669		10.3%
1940	103,627		1.9%
1950	103,917		0.3%
1960	107,849		3.8%
1970	103,052		−4.4%
1980	100,884		−2.1%
1990	98,276		−2.6%
2000	103,877		5.7%
2010	102,172		−1.6%
2020	105,941		3.7%
2023 (est.)	105,951	[6]	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[11][12] 2022[11]

Population of Woodbury County from US census data

2020 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Woodbury County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 105,941 in the county, with a population density of 120.8749/sq mi (46.67008/km²). 90.93% of the population reported being of one race. There were 42,701 housing units, of which 39,904 were occupied.^[2]

Woodbury County Racial Composition^[13]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	72,237	68.2%
Black or African American (NH)	5,076	4.8%
Native American (NH)	1,893	1.8%
Asian (NH)	2,957	2.8%
Pacific Islander (NH)	651	0.61%
Other/Mixed (NH)	4,381	4.14%
Hispanic or Latino	18,746	17.7%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 102,172 in the county, with a population density of 117.062/sq mi (45.1980/km²). There were 41,454 housing units, of which 39,052 were occupied.^[14]

2000 census

As of the census^[15] of 2000, there were 103,877 people, 39,151 households, and 26,426 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 inhabitants per square mile (46/km²). There were 41,394 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.48% White, 2.02% Black or African American, 1.69% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.37% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. 9.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 39,151 households, 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.90% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.50% were non-families. 26.60% of households were one person and 11.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.13.

The age distribution was 27.30% under the age of 18, 10.20% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.80 males.

The median household income was $38,509 and the median family income was $46,499. Males had a median income of $31,664 versus $22,599 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,771. About 7.20% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

For much of the second half of the 20th century, Woodbury County tilted Republican, albeit not as overwhelmingly as most of western Iowa. Between 1988 and 2012 Woodbury County was the quintessential swing county in Iowa. No candidate won it by more than 3.5% over that quarter-century. This was the only county in Iowa that Barack Obama won in 2012 that he failed to carry in 2008. However, in 2016, Woodbury County swung over dramatically to Donald Trump, who carried it by a 19 percent margin, the largest margin of victory since Lyndon Johnson's landslide election in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Woodbury County, Iowa^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	25,969	60.50%	16,145	37.62%	807	1.88%
2020	25,736	56.73%	18,704	41.23%	922	2.03%
2016	24,727	56.56%	16,210	37.08%	2,781	6.36%
2012	21,841	48.52%	22,302	49.54%	876	1.95%
2008	22,219	49.58%	21,983	49.05%	613	1.37%
2004	22,451	50.80%	21,455	48.55%	289	0.65%
2000	18,864	49.78%	17,691	46.68%	1,341	3.54%
1996	16,368	43.69%	17,224	45.97%	3,872	10.34%
1992	18,148	42.34%	17,398	40.59%	7,318	17.07%
1988	18,790	47.90%	20,153	51.38%	282	0.72%
1984	23,002	54.31%	18,951	44.75%	397	0.94%
1980	23,553	54.43%	15,930	36.81%	3,792	8.76%
1976	22,853	52.79%	19,664	45.43%	770	1.78%
1972	23,757	57.34%	16,974	40.97%	699	1.69%
1968	21,159	50.62%	18,281	43.73%	2,363	5.65%
1964	17,347	39.23%	26,841	60.70%	30	0.07%
1960	26,832	55.05%	21,906	44.94%	6	0.01%
1956	25,399	55.89%	19,997	44.00%	49	0.11%
1952	27,518	58.36%	19,474	41.30%	159	0.34%
1948	16,655	42.61%	22,056	56.43%	373	0.95%
1944	18,544	47.43%	20,448	52.30%	104	0.27%
1940	22,832	48.19%	24,457	51.62%	89	0.19%
1936	14,157	32.92%	26,847	62.43%	1,998	4.65%
1932	12,764	31.97%	26,397	66.12%	761	1.91%
1928	20,587	54.78%	16,831	44.78%	166	0.44%
1924	16,639	47.38%	5,676	16.16%	12,804	36.46%
1920	17,603	62.07%	9,815	34.61%	944	3.33%
1916	5,735	38.61%	8,819	59.38%	299	2.01%
1912	2,441	18.66%	4,564	34.89%	6,077	46.45%
1908	6,587	53.52%	5,222	42.43%	498	4.05%
1904	7,597	66.85%	2,809	24.72%	958	8.43%
1900	7,045	57.54%	4,796	39.17%	402	3.28%
1896	6,204	54.86%	4,876	43.12%	229	2.02%
1892	4,620	47.07%	4,156	42.34%	1,040	10.59%
1888	4,169	52.87%	3,588	45.50%	129	1.64%
1884	2,789	53.78%	2,380	45.89%	17	0.33%
1880	1,453	56.25%	995	38.52%	135	5.23%

Communities

Terraces, conservation tillage and buffers save soil and improve water quality on this Woodbury County farm in 1999.

Cities

• Anthon
• Bronson
• Correctionville
• Cushing
• Danbury
• Hornick
• Lawton
• Moville
• Oto
• Pierson
• Salix
• Sergeant Bluff
• Sioux City
• Sloan
• Smithland

Unincorporated communities

• Climbing Hill (a census-designated place)
• Discord
• Holly Springs
• Luton
• Midway
• Owego^[17]

Townships

• Arlington
• Banner
• Concord
• Floyd
• Grange
• Grant
• Kedron
• Lakeport
• Liberty
• Liston
• Little Sioux
• Miller
• Morgan
• Moville
• Oto
• Rock
• Rutland
• Sioux City
• Sloan
• Union
• West Fork
• Willow
• Wolf Creek
• Woodbury

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Woodbury County.^[2]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Sioux City (partially in Plymouth County)	City	85,791 (85,797 total)
2	Sergeant Bluff	City	5,015
3	Moville	City	1,687
4	Sloan	City	1,042
5	Lawton	City	943
6	Correctionville	City	766
7	Anthon	City	545
8	Pierson	City	337
9	Danbury	City	320
10	Salix	City	295
11	Bronson	City	294
12	Hornick	City	255
13	Cushing	City	230
14	Smithland	City	181
15	Climbing Hill	CDP	97
16	Oto	City	72

See also

• Iowa portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Woodbury County, Iowa