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Johnson County, Iowa

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Johnson County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,854,[2] making it the fourth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Iowa City,[3] home of the University of Iowa. Johnson County is included in the Iowa City metropolitan area, which is also included in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor Combined Statistical Area.[4]

Johnson County
County
Johnson County Courthouse
Johnson County Courthouse
Official seal of Johnson County
Seal
Map of Iowa highlighting Johnson County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°40′00″N 91°35′00″W / 41.666666666667°N 91.583333333333°W / 41.666666666667; -91.583333333333
Country United States
State Iowa
FoundedDecember 21, 1837
Named forRichard Mentor Johnson (1837–2020)
Lulu Johnson (since 2020)
SeatIowa City
Largest cityIowa City
Area
 • Total
623 sq mi (1,610 km2)
 • Land614 sq mi (1,590 km2)
 • Water9.1 sq mi (24 km2)  1.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
152,854
 • Estimate 
(2023)[1]
157,528 Increase
 • Density250/sq mi (100/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.johnsoncountyiowa.gov

History

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Johnson County was established in December 1837 by the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory, one of thirteen counties established by that body in a comprehensive act.[5] The county's area was partitioned from Dubuque County, and was not initially provided with a civil government, instead being governed by Cedar County officials. It was originally named for the US Vice President Richard M. Johnson (1780–1850).[6] In 2020, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to change the county's namesake to be Lulu Merle Johnson (1907–1995), the first black woman in the state to earn a doctorate; Vice President Johnson was a slaveowner who had sexual relations with several of his slaves.[7]

The first courthouse in the county was a two-story log cabin structure, built in 1838 in the settlement of Napoleon,[8] about two miles south of the current courthouse.[9] The building stood across from what later would become the James McCollister Farmstead on land later owned by Philip Clark.

 
Old Johnson County Courthouse, Iowa City, 1857-1899

After Iowa City was established by fiat as the new territorial capitol of Iowa, the county seat was removed there.[10] The second Johnson County Courthouse, the first in Iowa City, was built on Lot 8 Block 8 of the County Seat Addition to Iowa City in 1842 for $3,690.[9] This location was in the southeast corner of the intersection of Harrison and Clinton Streets. The building was 56 x 28 feet and two stories tall.[11] It was built by James Trimble, who had previously built the first jail.[9]

A third courthouse was built in 1857 in the courthouse square on Clinton Street between Court and Harrison Streets. It was used until 1901, after cracks appeared in its south wall in 1899.[12] The building was apparently built of brick with stone and wood ornamentation.[13]

The Richardsonian Romanesque style courthouse in use today was designed by the firm of Rush, Bowman and Rush of Grand Rapids, Michigan.[14] It was bid at a cost of $111,000 and built by the firm Rowson & Son of Johnson County.[15] The cornerstone was laid in December 1899.[16] The building's tower was based on Henry Hobson Richardson's design for the spire of Trinity Church in Boston.[17] The building was dedicated on June 8, 1901.[18] The currently unused jail that stands to the west of the courthouse was designed by C.L. Wundt of Burlington, Iowa on behalf of the Stewart Iron Works in Cleveland and bid for $14,000.[19]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 623 square miles (1,610 km2), of which 614 square miles (1,590 km2) is land and 9.1 square miles (24 km2) (1.5%) is water.[20]

Major highways

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Transit

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Adjacent counties

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18504,472—
186017,573293.0%
187024,89841.7%
188025,4292.1%
189023,082−9.2%
190024,8177.5%
191025,9144.4%
192026,4622.1%
193030,27614.4%
194033,1919.6%
195045,75637.9%
196053,66317.3%
197072,12734.4%
198081,71713.3%
199096,11917.6%
2000111,00615.5%
2010130,88217.9%
2020152,85416.8%
2023 (est.)157,528[21]3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]
1790–1960[23] 1900–1990[24]
1990–2000[25] 2010–2019[26]
 
Population of Johnson County from US census data

2020 census

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2022 US Census population pyramid for Johnson County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 152,854 in the county, with a population density of 245.8946/sq mi (94.94044/km2). 93.62% of the population reported being of one race. There were 65,916 housing units, of which 61,335 were occupied.[2]

Johnson County Racial Composition[27]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 114,491 74.9%
Black or African American (NH) 12,643 8.3%
Native American (NH) 193 0.12%
Asian (NH) 8,555 5.6%
Pacific Islander (NH) 41 0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH) 6,733 4.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10,198 6.7%

2010 census

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The 2010 census recorded a population of 130,882 in the county, with a population density of 212.9964/sq mi (82.2384/km2). There were 55,967 housing units, of which 52,715 were occupied.[28]

2000 census

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As of the census[29] of 2000, there were 111,006 people, 44,080 households, and 23,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 181 inhabitants per square mile (70/km2). There were 45,831 housing units at an average density of 75 per square mile (29/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.13% White, 2.90% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 4.12% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 44,080 households, out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.90% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.50% were non-families. 30.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97.

Age spread: 20.10% under the age of 18, 23.40% from 18 to 24, 30.80% from 25 to 44, 18.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,060, and the median income for a family was $60,112. Males had a median income of $36,279 versus $29,793 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,220. About 5.20% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.10% of those under age 18 and 3.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

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Largely due to the presence of the University of Iowa, Johnson County is considered the most liberal county in Iowa and a stronghold of the Democratic Party, and has always been among Iowa's most Democratic counties since the Civil War. It has been the strongest Democratic county in the state since 1984. This trend predates the recent swing toward the Democrats in counties influenced by college towns. The last Republican to win the county in a presidential election was Richard Nixon in 1960, and the last Republican to even get 40 percent of the county's vote was Ronald Reagan in 1984. The last time the GOP won the county in a gubernatorial election was the 1978 Iowa gubernatorial election. As a measure of how strongly Democratic the county has been, Democrats easily carried it even in the national Republican landslides of 1972, 1984 and 1988, and the county was the only county in Iowa to vote for Democrat Alton B. Parker over Republican Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. In 2020, Joe Biden received the highest percentage of the vote received by any Democrat in the county's history; indeed, by any candidate of any party.[30] In 2024, it was the only county to not vote for Donald Trump in the state's Republican presidential caucuses. Nikki Haley won the county by a single vote.[31][32][33]

Johnson County's Democratic bent is just as pronounced at the state level. It was the lone county to vote Democratic in statewide Republican landslides, such as Senator Chuck Grassley's re-elections in 2010 and 2016 or Governor Terry Branstad's re-election in 2014.

United States presidential election results for Johnson County, Iowa[34]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 26,087 30.11% 58,846 67.92% 1,711 1.97%
2020 22,925 27.34% 59,177 70.57% 1,749 2.09%
2016 21,044 27.35% 50,200 65.25% 5,696 7.40%
2012 23,698 31.19% 50,666 66.69% 1,613 2.12%
2008 20,732 28.40% 51,027 69.91% 1,230 1.69%
2004 22,715 34.75% 41,847 64.01% 811 1.24%
2000 17,899 33.92% 31,174 59.08% 3,696 7.00%
1996 13,402 29.31% 27,888 60.98% 4,442 9.71%
1992 14,041 27.12% 28,656 55.35% 9,077 17.53%
1988 15,453 34.61% 28,759 64.41% 435 0.97%
1984 18,677 41.46% 26,000 57.72% 367 0.81%
1980 13,642 31.73% 20,122 46.80% 9,233 21.47%
1976 16,090 41.57% 20,208 52.20% 2,412 6.23%
1972 14,823 40.91% 20,922 57.74% 491 1.36%
1968 11,384 43.88% 13,541 52.19% 1,019 3.93%
1964 6,860 31.73% 14,717 68.08% 41 0.19%
1960 10,927 50.80% 10,563 49.11% 18 0.08%
1956 11,298 56.28% 8,767 43.67% 11 0.05%
1952 11,231 58.04% 8,067 41.69% 52 0.27%
1948 7,139 43.79% 8,611 52.82% 553 3.39%
1944 6,396 42.93% 8,434 56.62% 67 0.45%
1940 7,206 44.27% 9,017 55.39% 55 0.34%
1936 5,629 38.18% 8,794 59.65% 320 2.17%
1932 5,484 37.87% 8,764 60.51% 235 1.62%
1928 7,288 50.27% 7,181 49.53% 29 0.20%
1924 5,741 44.53% 4,570 35.45% 2,580 20.01%
1920 5,696 52.15% 5,032 46.07% 195 1.79%
1916 2,704 42.23% 3,650 57.00% 49 0.77%
1912 1,645 27.95% 3,327 56.52% 914 15.53%
1908 2,758 44.84% 3,314 53.88% 79 1.28%
1904 2,963 48.27% 3,085 50.25% 91 1.48%
1900 3,010 48.10% 3,182 50.85% 66 1.05%
1896 2,910 47.06% 3,170 51.26% 104 1.68%
1892 2,179 39.35% 3,227 58.28% 131 2.37%
1888 2,051 40.15% 3,038 59.48% 19 0.37%
1884 2,019 38.71% 3,151 60.41% 46 0.88%
1880 2,400 44.89% 2,766 51.74% 180 3.37%

Communities

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Cities

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Census-designated place

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Other unincorporated communities

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Ghost towns

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Townships

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Population ranking

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The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Johnson County.[2]

† county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2020 Census)
1 † Iowa City City 74,828
2 Coralville City 22,318
3 North Liberty City 20,479
4 Tiffin City 4,512
5 Solon City 3,018
6 West Branch (mostly in Cedar County) City 2,509
7 Lone Tree City 1,357
8 University Heights City 1,228
9 Swisher City 914
10 Hills City 863
11 Shueyville City 731
12 Oxford City 722
13 Frytown CDP 193

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ The other counties created on December 21, 1837: Benton, Buchanan, Cedar, Clayton, Clinton, Delaware, Fayette, Jackson, Jones, Keokuk, Linn, and Scott.
  6. ^ History of Johnson County, Iowa 1836-1882 (1883). Reproduction by Unigraphic Inc. pp. 165-6.
  7. ^ Sherman, Cymphanie (September 24, 2020). "Johnson County votes unanimously to change namesake". KGAN. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  8. ^ This no longer exists as a separate settlement but as part of Iowa City. Its former existence is recognized by the present Napoleon Park, accessed via Napoleon Lane (41.63350N, 91.53147W). Napoleon Lane Google Maps (accessed 18 August 2018)
  9. ^ a b c Aurner, p. 492.
  10. ^ Aurner, pp. 47, 72.
  11. ^ Aurner, pp. 21, 492.
  12. ^ Aurner, p. 494.
  13. ^ Aurner, p. 65.
  14. ^ Daily Iowa State Press, April 1, 1899, p. 5
  15. ^ Aurner, pp. 496-7.
  16. ^ Aurner, p. 496.
  17. ^ "The Johnson County Courthouse". Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  18. ^ Aurner, p. 496
  19. ^ Aurner, p. 497.
  20. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  21. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  23. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  24. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  25. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  26. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  27. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Johnson County, Iowa".
  28. ^ "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010" (PDF). US Census Bureau – American FactFinder. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  29. ^ "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  30. ^ "Presidential election of 1848 - Map by counties". geoelections.free.fr. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  31. ^ "Iowa Caucus Results". The New York Times. January 15, 2024. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  32. ^ "Iowa Caucus 2024 Live Election Results". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Hansen, Ryan (January 16, 2024). "Iowa Caucus: Nikki Haley narrowly defeats Trump in Johnson County". press-citizen.com. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  • Charles Ray Aurner, Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History, Volume I (1912) reproduction by Torch Press, Cedar Rapids IA
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41°40′N 91°35′W / 41.667°N 91.583°W / 41.667; -91.583

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