Madison County, Iowa

County in Iowa, United States

U.S. county in Iowa

Madison County

U.S. county

Madison County courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Iowa

Iowa's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Iowa
Founded| 1846
Named for| James Madison
Seat| Winterset
Largest city| Winterset
Area

• Total| 562 sq mi (1,460 km2)
• Land| 561 sq mi (1,450 km2)
• Water| 1.2 sq mi (3 km2)  0.2%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 16,548
• Density| 29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 3rd
Website| madisoncounty.iowa.gov

Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,548.[1] The county seat is Winterset.[2]

Madison County is included in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area.[3]

Madison County is famous for being the county where John Wayne was born, and for a number of covered bridges. These bridges were featured in Robert James Waller's 1992 novella The Bridges of Madison County, as well as the 1995 film and 2014 musical based on it.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Major highways
* 2.2 Adjacent counties
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2020 census
* 3.2 2010 census
* 3.3 2000 census
* 4 Covered bridges
* 5 Tunnel
* 6 Communities
* 6.1 Incorporated Communities
* 6.2 Unincorporated communities
* 6.3 Townships
* 6.4 Population ranking
* 7 Politics
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

## History

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Madison County was formed on January 13, 1846. It has been self-governed since 1849. It was named after James Madison (1751–1836), the fourth President of the United States (between 1809 and 1817).[4] Hiram Hurst was the first European -American settler in Madison County, having come from Missouri about April 15, 1846.[5]

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 562 square miles (1,460 km2), of which 561 square miles (1,450 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6]

### Major highways

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* Interstate 80 (in the far northwestern corner of the county)
* U.S. Highway 6
* U.S. Highway 169
* Iowa Highway 92

### Adjacent counties

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* Dallas County (north)
* Warren County (east)
* Clarke County (southeast)
* Union County (southwest)
* Adair County (west)
* Polk County (northeast)

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1850| 1,179| | —
1860| 7,339| | 522.5%
1870| 13,884| | 89.2%
1880| 17,224| | 24.1%
1890| 15,977| | −7.2%
1900| 17,710| | 10.8%
1910| 15,621| | −11.8%
1920| 15,020| | −3.8%
1930| 14,331| | −4.6%
1940| 14,525| | 1.4%
1950| 13,131| | −9.6%
1960| 12,295| | −6.4%
1970| 11,558| | −6.0%
1980| 12,597| | 9.0%
1990| 12,483| | −0.9%
2000| 14,019| | 12.3%
2010| 15,679| | 11.8%
2020| 16,548| | 5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[11]
Population of Madison County from US census data

### 2020 census

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The 2020 census recorded a population of 16,548 in the county, with a population density of 29.3556/sq mi (11.3343/km2). 95.99% of the population reported being of one race. 92.42% were non-Hispanic White, 0.30% were Black, 1.91% were Hispanic, 0.15% were Native American, 0.51% were Asian, 0.08% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.63% were some other race or more than one race. There were 6,913 housing units, of which 6,436 were occupied.[1]

### 2010 census

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The 2010 census recorded a population of 15,679 in the county, with a population density of 27.9413/sq mi (10.7882/km2). There were 6,554 housing units, of which 6,025 were occupied.[12]

### 2000 census

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2000 Census Age Pyramid for Madison County

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 14,019 people, 5,326 households, and 3,925 families in the county. The population density was 25 inhabitants per square mile (9.7/km2). There were 5,661 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.57% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 5,326 households 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.90% were married couples living together, 7.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 22.70% of households were one person and 11.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04.

The age distribution was 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median household income was $41,845 and the median family income was $48,289. Males had a median income of $31,126 versus $24,095 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,357. About 4.60% of families and 6.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

## Covered bridges

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Hogback Bridge, one of the five remaining covered bridges in Madison County

There are five extant covered bridges in Madison County, of the original nineteen:

* Cedar Bridge built 1883, destroyed 2002, rebuilt 2004, 76 feet (23 m) long. The rebuilt bridge was destroyed by a fire in 2017.
* Cutler-Donahoe Bridge built 1870, 79 feet (24 m) long.
* Hogback Covered Bridge built 1884, 97 feet (30 m) long.
* Holliwell Bridge built 1880, 122 feet (37 m) long. Featured in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.
* Imes Bridge built 1870, 81 feet (25 m) long.
* Roseman Covered Bridge built 1883, 107 feet (33 m) long, is the best known one, as it is featured in the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County.

The remaining covered bridges were designed by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, with the following exceptions: Eli Cox built the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge, and J. P. Clark built the Imes Bridge.

## Tunnel

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Madison County is home to the only highway tunnel in Iowa, Harmon Tunnel, through the neck of an incised meander of the Middle River in Pammel Park.[14]

## Communities

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### Incorporated Communities

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* Bevington
* Earlham
* East Peru
* Macksburg
* Patterson
* St. Charles
* Truro
* Winterset

### Unincorporated communities

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* Barney
* Old Peru
* Pitzer
* Webster

### Townships

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* Crawford
* Douglas
* Grand River
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lee
* Lincoln
* Madison
* Monroe
* Ohio
* Penn
* Scott
* South
* Union
* Walnut
* Webster

### Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank  | City/Town/etc.  | Municipal type  | Population (2020 Census)

|
|
|

1  | † Winterset | City  | 5,353
2  | Earlham | City  | 1,410
3  | St. Charles | City  | 640
4  | Truro | City  | 509
5  | Patterson | City  | 176
6  | East Peru | City  | 115
7  | Macksburg | City  | 97
8  | Bevington (partially in Warren County)  | City  | 57

## Politics

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For most of its history, Madison County has primarily supported the Republican Party in presidential elections. From 1880 to 1960, the county only failed to back the party's candidate in 1932 when Herbert Hoover was defeated in a national landslide for reelection by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The county was much more of a swing area between 1964 & 1996, voting for the national winner in every presidential election between 1964 & 2004 aside from 1988 when Michael Dukakis was boosted to an inflated margin of victory statewide by a farm crisis. Since the start of the second millennium, Republicans have carried the county in every presidential election. Donald Trump also produced the county's strongest Republican presidential victory since 1952 in 2016, winning by a margin of over 30 percent.

United States presidential election results for Madison County, Iowa[15][16] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 6,507  | 66.24% | 3,134  | 31.90%  | 183  | 1.86%
2016 | 5,360  | 62.07% | 2,678  | 31.01%  | 598  | 6.92%
2012 | 4,638  | 54.84% | 3,630  | 42.92%  | 190  | 2.25%
2008 | 4,579  | 53.99% | 3,733  | 44.02%  | 169  | 1.99%
2004 | 4,538  | 56.70% | 3,380  | 42.23%  | 86  | 1.07%
2000 | 3,662  | 52.55% | 3,093  | 44.38%  | 214  | 3.07%
1996 | 2,550  | 40.30%  | 3,070  | 48.52% | 707  | 11.17%
1992 | 2,421  | 39.37%  | 2,525  | 41.06% | 1,203  | 19.56%
1988 | 2,410  | 41.11%  | 3,421  | 58.36% | 31  | 0.53%
1984 | 3,168  | 50.60% | 3,067  | 48.99%  | 26  | 0.42%
1980 | 3,320  | 51.79% | 2,496  | 38.93%  | 595  | 9.28%
1976 | 2,681  | 45.36%  | 3,109  | 52.61% | 120  | 2.03%
1972 | 3,480  | 59.35% | 2,234  | 38.10%  | 150  | 2.56%
1968 | 3,151  | 55.49% | 2,192  | 38.60%  | 336  | 5.92%
1964 | 2,250  | 38.93%  | 3,518  | 60.87% | 12  | 0.21%
1960 | 3,804  | 58.26% | 2,722  | 41.69%  | 3  | 0.05%
1956 | 3,883  | 59.34% | 2,652  | 40.53%  | 9  | 0.14%
1952 | 4,967  | 69.48% | 2,131  | 29.81%  | 51  | 0.71%
1948 | 3,207  | 52.38% | 2,827  | 46.17%  | 89  | 1.45%
1944 | 3,737  | 59.20% | 2,550  | 40.39%  | 26  | 0.41%
1940 | 4,477  | 58.91% | 3,094  | 40.71%  | 29  | 0.38%
1936 | 4,188  | 55.04% | 3,365  | 44.22%  | 56  | 0.74%
1932 | 2,663  | 47.09%  | 2,923  | 51.69% | 69  | 1.22%
1928 | 4,364  | 66.15% | 2,178  | 33.02%  | 55  | 0.83%
1924 | 4,191  | 60.80% | 1,367  | 19.83%  | 1,335  | 19.37%
1920 | 4,465  | 68.83% | 1,899  | 29.27%  | 123  | 1.90%
1916 | 1,871  | 51.26% | 1,711  | 46.88%  | 68  | 1.86%
1912 | 1,274  | 33.79% | 1,185  | 31.43%  | 1,311  | 34.77%
1908 | 2,425  | 59.54% | 1,404  | 34.47%  | 244  | 5.99%
1904 | 2,602  | 63.20% | 1,190  | 28.90%  | 325  | 7.89%
1900 | 2,590  | 55.67% | 1,907  | 40.99%  | 155  | 3.33%
1896 | 2,313  | 50.28% | 2,224  | 48.35%  | 63  | 1.37%

## See also

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* Madison County Courthouse
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Madison County, Iowa

## References

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1. ^ a b c "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ United States Office of Management and Budget. "Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). pp. 5, 36. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2006.
4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 196.
5. ^ Mueller, Herman A. (1915). History of Madison County, Iowa, and its People, Volume I. New York Public Library: The S.J. Clark Publishing Company. pp. 20–21.
6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
11. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
12. ^ "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010" (PDF). United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. ^ Pammel Park web page of the Madison County Conservation Board.
15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
16. ^ The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 1,121 votes, while Prohibition Party candidate Eugene W. Chafin received 104 votes and Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 68 votes.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Madison County, Iowa.

* County website
* Madison County Chamber of Commerce
* Madison County Development Group

Places adjacent to Madison County, Iowa

|  | Dallas County |

|
|

|  |
Adair County |

Madison County, Iowa

| Warren County
|  |
Union County |  | Clarke County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Madison County, Iowa, United States

County seat: Winterset

Cities|

* Bevington‡
* Earlham
* East Peru
* Macksburg
* Patterson
* St. Charles
* Truro
* Winterset

Map of Iowa highlighting Madison County

Townships|

* Crawford
* Douglas
* Grand River
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lee
* Lincoln
* Madison
* Monroe
* Ohio
* Penn
* Scott
* South
* Union
* Walnut
* Webster

Unincorporated
communities|

* Barney
* Old Peru
* Webster

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Iowa

Des Moines (capital)

Topics|

* Archaeology
* Area codes
* Attorney General
* Auditor of State
* Capitol
* Code
* Congressional districts
* Crime
* Delegations
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Regions|

* Coteau des Prairies
* Des Moines metropolitan area
* Dissected Till Plains
* Driftless Area
* Great River Road
* Honey Lands
* Iowa Great Lakes
* Loess Hills
* Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area
* Quad Cities
* Siouxland

Largest cities|

* Ames
* Ankeny
* Bettendorf
* Burlington
* Cedar Falls
* Cedar Rapids
* Clinton
* Council Bluffs
* Davenport
* Des Moines
* Dubuque
* Fort Dodge
* Iowa City
* Marion
* Marshalltown
* Mason City
* Muscatine
* Ottumwa
* Sioux City
* Urbandale
* Waterloo
* West Des Moines

Counties|

* Adair
* Adams
* Allamakee
* Appanoose
* Audubon
* Benton
* Black Hawk
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* Bremer
* Buchanan
* Buena Vista
* Butler
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* Dubuque
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* Greene
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* Guthrie
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* Humboldt
* Ida
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* Keokuk
* Kossuth
* Lee
* Linn
* Louisa
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* Lyon
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* Mahaska
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mills
* Mitchell
* Monona
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Muscatine
* O'Brien
* Osceola
* Page
* Palo Alto
* Plymouth
* Pocahontas
* Polk
* Pottawattamie
* Poweshiek
* Ringgold
* Sac
* Scott
* Shelby
* Sioux
* Story
* Tama
* Taylor
* Union
* Van Buren
* Wapello
* Warren
* Washington
* Wayne
* Webster
* Winnebago
* Winneshiek
* Woodbury
* Worth
* Wright

Coordinates: 41°20′N 94°01′W﻿ / ﻿41.33°N 94.01°W﻿ / 41.33; -94.01
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