Ida County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 7,005, making it the state's eighth-least populous county. The county seat is Ida Grove. The county was authorized by the Iowa Legislature in January 1851 as a packet of projected counties in unorganized territory of western Iowa. It was named after Ida Smith, the first child of European immigrants to be born in this region.

History

The Iowa Legislature authorized the formation of 49 counties in previously–unregulated western Iowa on January 15, 1851. This date is usually cited as the date of formation of Ida County; however, as there were no inhabitants of that area, no action was taken to form a county government.

On January 12, 1853, the Legislature authorized creation of Woodbury County, and included the proviso that the area of Ida County be included with Woodbury for revenue, election, and judicial purposes. In 1853 there were still no settlers in Ida County's lands.

The county's first dedicated school building was raised in 1861.

Major highways

  • x20px U.S. Highway 20 – runs east–west through the northern part of the county, passing Holstein.
  • x20px U.S. Highway 59 – runs generally north–south through the center of the county, passing Ida Grove. Its exit at south county line is five miles east of its entry point on north county line.
  • x20px Iowa Highway 31 – cuts across the northwestern tip of Ida County, running southwest from Cherokee County to Woodbury County.
  • x20px Iowa Highway 175 – runs east–west through the southern part of the county, passing Ida Grove.

Adjacent counties

  • Cherokee County (north)
  • Sac County (east)
  • Crawford County (south)
  • Woodbury County (west)

Demographics

thumb|right|Population of Ida County from US census data

2020 census

thumb|left|2022 US Census [[population pyramid for Ida County from ACS 5-year estimates]]

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 7,005, with a population density of .

The median age was 44.1 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.6 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 2,940 households in the county, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.6% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,837 people, 3,213 households, and 2,184 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,506 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 99.02% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. 0.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,213 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 29.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 21.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,805, and the median income for a family was $43,179. Males had a median income of $29,002 versus $19,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,675. About 5.70% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.10% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

  • Arthur
  • Battle Creek
  • Galva
  • Holstein
  • Ida Grove

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Battle
  • Blaine
  • Corwin
  • Douglas
  • Galva
  • Garfield
  • Grant
  • Griggs
  • Hayes
  • Logan
  • Maple
  • Silver Creek

Population ranking

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

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Education

School districts include:

  • Denison Community School District
  • Galva-Holstein Community School District
  • Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School District - Formed on July 1, 2012.
  • Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Community School District - Formed on July 1, 2018.
  • Battle Creek-Ida Grove Community School District<!--from 2010 census map--> - Merged into OABCIGCSD on July 1, 2018.