Worth County, Iowa

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 402 sqmi, of which 400 sqmi is land and 1.8 sqmi (0.5%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Iowa by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Major highways

 * I-35.svg Elongated circle 27.svg Interstate 35/Iowa Highway 27
 * US 65.svg U.S. Highway 65
 * US 69.svg U.S. Highway 69
 * Circle sign 9.svg Iowa Highway 9

Adjacent counties

 * Freeborn County, Minnesota (north)
 * Mower County, Minnesota (northeast)
 * Mitchell County (east)
 * Cerro Gordo County (south)
 * Winnebago County (west)

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 /mi2. There were 3,534 housing units at an average density of 9 /mi2. 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.

Cities

 * Fertile
 * Grafton
 * Hanlontown
 * Joice
 * Kensett
 * Manly
 * Northwood

Census-designated place

 * Bolan

Townships

 * Barton
 * Bristol
 * Brookfield
 * Danville
 * Deer Creek
 * Fertile
 * Grove
 * Hartland
 * Kensett
 * Lincoln
 * Silver Lake
 * Union

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

† county seat

Politics
From its inaugural election in 1860 through 1928, Worth County backed the Republican candidate in every election with the exception of 1912, when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt won as the Progressive candidate. From 1932 to 1980, the county was a bellwether, backing the nationwide winner in every election in that span except for 1960. For the next eight elections, Worth County favored the Democratic nominee in every election, each time by a margin of at least 10% except for 1984. In 2016, the county shifted back to the right, with Donald Trump winning nearly 58% of the vote in Worth County with a margin of victory of almost 22%. He improved on this in 2020, taking almost 62% of the vote and winning by a margin of victory of nearly 26%, the best performance by any candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, the best performance by a Republican since Herbert Hoover in 1928, and the best margin of victory for any candidate since 1928 as well.