Hamilton County, Iowa

Hamilton County
Hamilton County
County
	Hamilton County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
	Iowa's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 42°22′55″N 93°42′39″W / 42.381944444444°N 93.710833333333°W
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1856
Named for	William W. Hamilton
Seat	Webster City
Largest city	Webster City
Area
• Total	578 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	577 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	0.8 sq mi (2 km2) 0.1%
Population (2020)
• Total	15,039
• Estimate (2023)	14,729
• Density	26/sq mi (10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.hamiltoncounty.iowa.gov

Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,039.^[1] The county seat is Webster City.^[2] The county was named to honor William W. Hamilton, a President of the Iowa State Senate.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 578 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 577 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (0.1%) is water.^[4] The largest body of water is Little Wall Lake.

Major highways

Transit

List of intercity bus stops in Iowa

Adjacent counties

Wright County (north)
Hardin County (east)
Story County (southeast)
Boone County (southwest)
Webster County (west)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	1,699		—
1870	6,055		256.4%
1880	11,252		85.8%
1890	15,319		36.1%
1900	19,514		27.4%
1910	19,242		−1.4%
1920	19,531		1.5%
1930	20,978		7.4%
1940	19,922		−5.0%
1950	19,660		−1.3%
1960	20,032		1.9%
1970	18,383		−8.2%
1980	17,862		−2.8%
1990	16,071		−10.0%
2000	16,438		2.3%
2010	15,673		−4.7%
2020	15,039		−4.0%
2023 (est.)	14,729	^[5]	−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790-1960^[7] 1900-1990^[8] 1990-2000^[9] 2010-2018^[10]

Population of Hamilton County from US census data

2020 census

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

The 2020 census recorded a population of 15,039 in the county, with a population density of 25.9672/sq mi (10.0260/km²). 94.75% of the population reported being of one race. There were 7,037 housing units, of which 6,283 were occupied.^[1]

Hamilton County Racial Composition^[11]
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	12,702	84.46%
Black or African American (NH)	88	0.6%
Native American (NH)	25	0.16%
Asian (NH)	314	2.1%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	445	3%
Hispanic or Latino	1,465	9.74%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,673 in the county, with a population density of 27.1780/sq mi (10.4935/km²). There were 7,219 housing units, of which 6,540 were occupied.^[12]

2000 census

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 16,438 people, 6,692 households, and 4,597 families residing in the county. The population density was 28 people per square mile (11 people/km²). There were 7,082 housing units at an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.71% White, 0.23% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,692 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.90% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,658, and the median income for a family was $45,771. Males had a median income of $30,579 versus $23,595 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,801. About 4.30% of families and 6.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.70% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Homer^[14]

Townships

Source:^[15]

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Hamilton County.^[1]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Webster City	City	7,825
2	Jewell Junction	City	1,216
3	Stratford (partially in Webster County)	City	707
4	Ellsworth	City	508
5	Stanhope	City	364
6	Williams	City	307
7	Kamrar	City	179
8	Blairsburg	City	176
9	Randall	City	154

Politics

Hamilton County has been a swing county for most of its history. In the last 100 years, it has backed the losing candidate nationally only four times in the 1960, 1988, 2012 and 2020 presidential elections.

United States presidential election results for Hamilton County, Iowa^[16]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	4,956	62.39%	2,843	35.79%	144	1.81%
2016	4,463	58.01%	2,726	35.43%	505	6.56%
2012	3,991	50.35%	3,782	47.71%	154	1.94%
2008	3,913	48.42%	4,018	49.72%	150	1.86%
2004	4,367	52.39%	3,895	46.73%	73	0.88%
2000	3,968	52.39%	3,407	44.98%	199	2.63%
1996	3,109	42.72%	3,455	47.48%	713	9.80%
1992	3,031	39.46%	3,262	42.47%	1,388	18.07%
1988	3,277	43.73%	4,156	55.46%	61	0.81%
1984	4,279	55.61%	3,330	43.27%	86	1.12%
1980	4,745	57.40%	2,741	33.16%	780	9.44%
1976	3,932	49.00%	3,953	49.26%	140	1.74%
1972	4,803	60.87%	2,913	36.92%	174	2.21%
1968	4,607	57.58%	3,058	38.22%	336	4.20%
1964	3,127	37.53%	5,195	62.35%	10	0.12%
1960	5,265	57.39%	3,905	42.57%	4	0.04%
1956	5,667	59.56%	3,829	40.25%	18	0.19%
1952	7,006	71.29%	2,788	28.37%	34	0.35%
1948	3,535	48.13%	3,613	49.19%	197	2.68%
1944	3,837	46.91%	4,302	52.59%	41	0.50%
1940	4,183	44.03%	5,279	55.56%	39	0.41%
1936	3,174	36.24%	5,432	62.02%	152	1.74%
1932	2,330	30.56%	5,191	68.09%	103	1.35%
1928	4,171	58.01%	2,975	41.38%	44	0.61%
1924	4,401	60.74%	490	6.76%	2,355	32.50%
1920	5,924	82.88%	1,126	15.75%	98	1.37%
1916	3,037	70.94%	1,125	26.28%	119	2.78%
1912	831	19.37%	1,041	24.27%	2,418	56.36%
1908	2,765	68.17%	1,145	28.23%	146	3.60%
1904	3,118	77.08%	746	18.44%	181	4.47%
1900	3,259	73.15%	1,134	25.45%	62	1.39%
1896	3,074	69.25%	1,300	29.29%	65	1.46%