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Palo Alto County, Iowa facts for kids

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Palo Alto County
U.S. county
Palo Alto County Courthouse
Palo Alto County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Palo Alto County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Iowa
Founded January 15, 1851
Named for Battle of Palo Alto
Seat Emmetsburg
Largest city Emmetsburg
Area
 • Total 569 sq mi (1,470 km2)
 • Land 564 sq mi (1,460 km2)
 • Water 5.6 sq mi (15 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,996
 • Density 15.810/sq mi (6.104/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Palo Alto County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,996. The county seat is Emmetsburg. It is named after the Battle of Palo Alto, the first major battle of the Mexican–American War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 569 square miles (1,470 km2), of which 564 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 18.svg U.S. Highway 18
  • Circle sign 4.svg Iowa Highway 4
  • Elongated circle 15.svg Iowa Highway 15

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 132 —
1870 1,336 912.1%
1880 4,131 209.2%
1890 9,618 132.8%
1900 14,354 49.2%
1910 13,845 −3.5%
1920 15,486 11.9%
1930 15,398 −0.6%
1940 16,170 5.0%
1950 15,891 −1.7%
1960 14,736 −7.3%
1970 13,289 −9.8%
1980 12,721 −4.3%
1990 10,669 −16.1%
2000 10,147 −4.9%
2010 9,421 −7.2%
2020 8,996 −4.5%
2023 (est.) 8,810 −6.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2018
PaloAltoCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Palo Alto County from US census data

2020 census

PaloAltoCountyIA2022PopPyr
2022 US Census population pyramid for Palo Alto County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 8,996 in the county, with a population density of 15.8500/sq mi (6.1197/km2). 96.59% of the population reported being of one race. 91.05% were non-Hispanic White, 0.58% were Black, 3.05% were Hispanic, 0.26% were Native American, 0.43% were Asian, 0.07% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.57% were some other race or more than one race. There were 4,516 housing units, of which 3,831 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 9,421 in the county, with a population density of 16.7089/sq mi (6.4513/km2). There were 4,628 housing units, of which 3,994 were occupied.

Communities

Townships

  • Booth
  • Ellington
  • Emmetsburg
  • Fairfield
  • Fern Valley
  • Freedom
  • Great Oak
  • Highland
  • Independence
  • Lost Island
  • Nevada
  • Rush Lake
  • Silver Lake
  • Vernon
  • Walnut
  • West Bend

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Emmetsburg City 3,706
2 Graettinger City 832
3 West Bend (partially in Kossuth County) City 772 (791 total)
4 Ruthven City 725
5 Mallard City 257
6 Ayrshire City 133
7 Cylinder City 87
8 Curlew City 37
9 Rodman City 31

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Palo Alto para niños

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