Wright County, Iowa

Wright County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,943. The county seat is Clarion. The county organization became effective in January 1851, and is believed to be named either after Silas Wright, a governor of New York, or Joseph Albert Wright, a governor of Indiana.Wright County

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is covered by water. The terrain is generally undulating. The county is intersected by the Boone and Iowa Rivers

Major highways Interstate 35 U.S. Highway 69 Iowa Highway 3 Iowa Highway 17

Adjacent counties Hancock County - north Cerro Gordo County - northeast Franklin County - east Hardin County - southeast Hamilton County - south Webster County - southwest Humboldt County - west Kossuth County - northwest

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 12,943, giving a population density of .

The median age was 41.0 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.4% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 10.2% from some other race, and 6.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 18.5% of the population. Approximately 93.5% of residents reported being of one race.

+Wright County Racial CompositionRaceNumberPercentWhite (NH)10,10778.1%Black or African American (NH)730.6%Native American (NH)150.12%Asian (NH)670.52%Pacific Islander (NH)80.06%Other/Mixed (NH)2792.2%Hispanic or Latino2,39418.5%

Less than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,404 households in the county, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.6% were married-couple households, 20.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of the 6,260 housing units, 5,404 were occupied and 13.7% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.4% were owner-occupied and 28.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.9%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census recorded a population of 13,229 in the county, with a population density of . There were 6,529 housing units, of which 5,625 were occupied.

2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 14,334 people, 5,940 households, and 3,938 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,559 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.93% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 2.90% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 4.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,940 households, out of which 28.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 6.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 21.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,197, and the median income for a family was $44,043. Males had a median income of $29,398 versus $21,222 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,247. About 4.20% of families and 7.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.70% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.

Education Primary and secondary School districts include: - Text list

Belmond–Klemme Community School District CAL Community School District Clarion–Goldfield–Dows Community School District - Established on July 1, 2014. Eagle Grove Community School District Humboldt Community School District West Fork Community School District - Established on July 1, 2011. West Hancock Community School District Webster City Community School District

Former school districts: - Text list

Clarion–Goldfield Community School District, Established on July 1, 1993, and merged into Clarion-Goldfield-Dows on July 1, 2014. Corwith–Wesley Community School District, dissolved on July 1, 2015. Dows Community School District merged into Clarion-Goldfield-Dows on July 1, 2014. Northeast Hamilton Community School District merged into Webster City CSD on July 1, 2019. Sheffield–Chapin–Meservey–Thornton Community School District (SCMT), merged into West Fork CSD on July 1, 2011.

These three school districts in Wright County have or had high schools in the county: Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Community School District K-12 Enrollment 954 Eagle Grove Community School District K-12 Enrollment 836 Belmond-Klemme Community School District K-12 Enrollment 793

Tertiary Iowa State University maintains an extension office in Clarion. Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls are all within driving distance of Wright County. Iowa Central Community College began offering ICN Polycom classes in Clarion and Eagle Grove in 2015.

Politics Wright County has, like many counties in Iowa, been a swing county for the majority of its history. The county has voted for the winning candidate in 21 out of the 25 presidential elections in the 20th Century. However, in 2000, the county was won by Republican George W. Bush and has voted for the party in all presidential elections since.

Media Several small newspapers are published in Wright County, including the Wright County Monitor, serving Clarion and Dows, the Eagle Grove Eagle, and the Belmond Independent.

Wright County Fair The first Wright County Fair was held in Clarion. The old fairgrounds were located where Clarion's USA Healthcare Center stands today. the Clarion Fair ran until 1924; it was held in Goldfield in 1925, and moved to its present location in Eagle Grove in 1926; it was later retitled as the Wright County District Junior Fair. Entries are open to children in Hamilton, Humboldt, Webster, Hardin, Franklin, and Wright Counties.Wright County District Junior Fair website. Accessed October 1, 2025.

Communities Cities

Belmond Clarion Dows Eagle Grove Galt Goldfield Rowan Woolstock

Unincorporated communities Cornelia Holmes Olaf Thrall

Ghost towns Aldrich Bach Grove Bruce Crown Point Drew Dry Lake Eagle Grove Junction Eagleville Empire Fryeburg Galtville Grant Lena Liberty

Townships

Belmond Blaine Boone Dayton Eagle Grove Grant Iowa Lake Liberty Lincoln Norway Pleasant Troy Vernon Wall Lake Woolstock

Population ranking The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Wright County.

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census) 1Eagle Grove City 3,601 2† Clarion City 2,810 3Belmond City 2,463 4Goldfield City 634 5Dows (partially in Franklin County) City 521 6Woolstock City 144 7Rowan City 123 8Galt City 26

Wright County, Iowa

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