Iowa County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,709. Its county seat and largest city is Dodgeville. When created, it was part of the Michigan Territory. Iowa County is part of the Madison, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county organized under the Michigan Territory government in 1830. It was named for the Iowa tribe.

Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water. It is drained by tributaries of the Pecatonica River, which has its headwaters in the county. The highest point in the county is West Blue Mound at 1,716 ft. above sea level. The lowest point is the Wisconsin river at the Grant County line at 667 ft. above sea level.

Rivers and streams Harker Creek

Major highways

U.S. Highway 14 U.S. Highway 18 U.S. Highway 151 Highway 23 (Wisconsin) Highway 39 (Wisconsin) Highway 78 (Wisconsin) Highway 80 (Wisconsin) Highway 130 (Wisconsin) Highway 133 (Wisconsin) Highway 191 (Wisconsin)

Railroads Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

Buses Iowa County is served by Lamers Connect which offers two buses a day, one traveling east to Madison and Milwaukee and one west to Dubuque via its Dodgeville stop.

Airport Iowa County Airport (KMRJ) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties Richland County - northwest Sauk County - northeast Dane County - east Green County - southeast Lafayette County - south Grant County - west

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Iowa County, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980 Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)19,68020,05122,42822,90422,20399.38%99.51%98.45%96.69%93.65%Black or African American alone (NH)10736861140.05%0.03%0.16%0.36%0.48%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)29202535260.15%0.10%0.11%0.15%0.11%Asian alone (NH)2719781241780.14%0.09%0.34%0.52%0.75%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census3512xx0.01%0.02%0.05%Other race alone (NH)551212500.03%0.02%0.05%0.05%0.21%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census123185671xx0.54%0.78%2.83%Hispanic or Latino (any race)5148753364550.26%0.24%0.33%1.42%1.92%Total19,80220,15022,78023,68723,709 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 23,709, a median age of 44.5 years, 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18, and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.2 males.

The population density was . There were 10,905 housing units at an average density of .

There were 9,901 households in the county, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.4% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 10,905 housing units, of which 9.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.3% were owner-occupied and 23.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.9% from some other race, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.9% of the population.

20.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 79.3% lived in rural areas.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,780 people, 8,764 households, and 6,213 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,579 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.70% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 33.6% were of German, 17.2% Norwegian, 11.6% English, 11.3% Irish and 7.9% American ancestry.

There were 8,764 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.

Politics

Iowa County historically tilted Republican for much of the 20th century. However, it has swung heavily to the Democrats since the 1970s. It has supported the Democratic presidential candidate in all but one election since 1976, and is one of the most Democratic counties in Wisconsin. However, Donald Trump's 2024 performance of over 45% was the best by a Republican since George H. W. Bush lost the county by only 28 votes in 1988. This was also the first time since 1988 that a Republican held a Democratic winner of the county to a single-digit margin of victory.

Parks and recreation The county has several parks, including Arena Pines-Sand Barrens State Natural Area, Pine Cliff State Natural Area, Blue Mound State Park, Tower Hill State Park, Black Hawk Lake Recreation Area and Governor Dodge State Park.

Communities

Cities Dodgeville (county seat) Mineral Point

Villages

Arena Avoca Barneveld Blanchardville (mostly in Lafayette County) Cobb Highland Hollandale Linden Livingston (mostly in Grant County) Montfort (mostly in Grant County) Muscoda (mostly in Grant County) Rewey Ridgeway

Towns

Arena Brigham Clyde Dodgeville Eden Highland Linden Mifflin Mineral Point Moscow Pulaski Ridgeway Waldwick Wyoming

Census-designated place Edmund

Unincorporated communities

Clyde Coon Rock Helena Hyde Jonesdale Middlebury Mifflin Moscow Pleasant Ridge Waldwick Wyoming

Ghost towns Adamsville Dirty Hollow Minersville Pendarvis

Notable people

Gilbert L. Laws, Nebraska Secretary of State and US Congressman

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Iowa County, Wisconsin Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program

References

Further reading Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette, Wisconsin, Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families. Chicago: J.H. Beers and Co., 1901. Crawford, George and Robert M. Crawford (eds.). Memoirs of Iowa County, Wisconsin From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present. Northwestern Historical Association, 1913. History of Iowa County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881.

External links

Iowa County government website Iowa County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Iowa County Historical Society Iowa County Humane Society