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.

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

  • x20px Interstate 35
  • x20px U.S. Highway 69
  • x20px Iowa Highway 3
  • x20px 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

thumb|right|Population of Wright County from the U.S. census data

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.

!Race

!Number

!Percent

|-

|White (NH)

|10,107

|78.1%

|-

|Black or African American (NH)

|73

|0.6%

|-

|Native American (NH)

|15

|0.12%

|-

|Asian (NH)

|67

|0.52%

|-

|Pacific Islander (NH)

|8

|0.06%

|-

|Other/Mixed (NH)

|279

|2.2%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|2,394

|18.5%

|}

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%.

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:

  • 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.
  • Clarion-Goldfield Community School District,<!--Sourced to 2010 Census School District Map--> Established on July 1, 1993, and merged into Clarion-Goldfield-Dows on July 1, 2014.

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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.

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.