WORTH County, IA

Worth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,443. The county seat is Northwood. The county was founded in 1851 and named for Major General William Jenkins Worth (1794–1849), an officer in both the Seminole War and the Mexican–American War.

Worth County is part of the Mason City, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.5%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Iowa by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 7,443 in the county, with a population density of . 96.49% of the population reported being of one race. 91.76% were non-Hispanic White, 0.81% were Black, 2.83% were Hispanic, 0.11% were Native American, 0.43% were Asian, 0.01% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.04% were some other race or more than one race. There were 3,480 housing units, of which 3,127 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 7,598 in the county, with a population density of . There were 3,548 housing units, of which 3,172 were occupied.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 7,909 people, 3,278 households, and 2,265 families in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 3,534 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.37% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.57%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 3,278 households 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.60% of households were one person and 14.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.

The age distribution was 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.40% 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.20 males.

The median household income was $36,444 and the median family income was $41,763. Males had a median income of $27,927 versus $20,897 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,952. About 6.30% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.60% of those under age 18 and 7.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Townships

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Politics