Lovilia, Iowa

Lovilia is a city in Monroe County, Iowa, United States. The population was 472 at the time of the 2020 census.

History
Lovilla was laid out in 1853.

Coal was known north and south of Lovilia in the early 1900s, and there were scattered "country mines" in the area.

On March 30, 1953, there was a dust explosion at the O'Brien Mine, a coal mine near Lovilia. Two men, including the mine foreman, were in the mine to fire the black-powder shots at the end of the work shift. Both were killed in the blast. Volunteers from Lovilia went into the mine and brought out the bodies, and then the owner of the O'Brien mine, along with three officials of a nearby mine and an employee went underground to investigate. Of the five, only two survived; the others were overcome by bad air. The ensuing investigation determined that the dust explosion was caused by a blow-out in two of the blasted holes. A blow-out occurs when the force of the explosion blows the stemming out of a hole instead of breaking up the surrounding material. In the case of the O'Brien mine, the stemming used was a mix of coal dust and clay.

In 1972, the Lovilia Coal Company was operating one of the last two underground coal mines in Iowa. The mine employed 21 workers and produced 245,000 tons of coal that year. This was a room and pillar mine.

In 1985, the Star Coal Company of Lovilia was the largest employer in Monroe County, Iowa, with 150 employees. Coal production was 500,000 tons per year, about 80 percent of Iowa's total coal production.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.50 sqmi, all land.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 538 people, 207 households, and 149 families living in the city. The population density was 1076.0 PD/sqmi. There were 228 housing units at an average density of 456.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 99.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, and 0.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 207 households, of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 34 years. 29.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 583 people, 228 households, and 163 families living in the city. The population density was 1,160.8 PD/sqmi. There were 247 housing units at an average density of 491.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 98.97% White, 0.17% African American, 0.17% Native American, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.17% of the population.

There were 228 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,577, and the median income for a family was $39,038. Males had a median income of $31,538 versus $19,712 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,978. About 6.4% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure
A building constructed circa 1901 became a post office in the 1930s. On October 4, 1965, a privately-owned building that was to be leased by the U.S. Postal Service as a post office started construction. The post office facility opened in 1966.

Education
Albia Community School District operates public schools serving the community.