# Poweshiek County, Iowa

Poweshiek County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 18,662. The county seat is Montezuma. The county is named for the chief of the Meskwaki who signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. It lies along Interstate 80 between Des Moines and Iowa City. Poweshiek County's largest city is Grinnell.

## History

Poweshiek County was formed in 1843. It was named for Meskwaki Chief Poweshiek (1791–1854), a chief of the Meskwaki people. The Poweshiek County Courthouse, completed in 1859, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

## Government and infrastructure

County business is overseen by three elected county supervisors. The county website provides names and contact information for the current supervisors.
United States presidential election results for Poweshiek County, Iowa :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 5,758 | 57.51% | 4,067 | 40.62% | 188 | 1.88% |
| 2020 | 5,657 | 55.79% | 4,306 | 42.47% | 177 | 1.75% |
| 2016 | 4,946 | 50.30% | 4,304 | 43.77% | 583 | 5.93% |
| 2012 | 4,424 | 44.35% | 5,357 | 53.70% | 194 | 1.94% |
| 2008 | 4,340 | 43.26% | 5,519 | 55.01% | 174 | 1.73% |
| 2004 | 4,965 | 49.20% | 5,043 | 49.98% | 83 | 0.82% |
| 2000 | 4,396 | 48.95% | 4,222 | 47.02% | 362 | 4.03% |
| 1996 | 3,221 | 39.21% | 4,183 | 50.93% | 810 | 9.86% |
| 1992 | 3,245 | 35.87% | 4,056 | 44.83% | 1,746 | 19.30% |
| 1988 | 3,683 | 42.70% | 4,876 | 56.53% | 66 | 0.77% |
| 1984 | 4,715 | 53.04% | 4,103 | 46.16% | 71 | 0.80% |
| 1980 | 4,598 | 50.52% | 3,529 | 38.77% | 975 | 10.71% |
| 1976 | 4,194 | 48.01% | 4,360 | 49.91% | 181 | 2.07% |
| 1972 | 4,785 | 55.33% | 3,718 | 42.99% | 145 | 1.68% |
| 1968 | 4,470 | 55.10% | 3,250 | 40.06% | 392 | 4.83% |
| 1964 | 3,109 | 37.31% | 5,213 | 62.55% | 12 | 0.14% |
| 1960 | 5,232 | 58.76% | 3,671 | 41.23% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1956 | 5,145 | 58.81% | 3,602 | 41.17% | 2 | 0.02% |
| 1952 | 6,105 | 64.28% | 3,318 | 34.93% | 75 | 0.79% |
| 1948 | 3,888 | 46.37% | 4,324 | 51.57% | 173 | 2.06% |
| 1944 | 4,186 | 49.47% | 4,234 | 50.04% | 41 | 0.48% |
| 1940 | 4,773 | 49.66% | 4,794 | 49.88% | 44 | 0.46% |
| 1936 | 4,037 | 44.88% | 4,745 | 52.75% | 214 | 2.38% |
| 1932 | 3,490 | 41.77% | 4,649 | 55.64% | 216 | 2.59% |
| 1928 | 5,212 | 63.95% | 2,787 | 34.20% | 151 | 1.85% |
| 1924 | 4,414 | 53.57% | 1,428 | 17.33% | 2,397 | 29.09% |
| 1920 | 5,806 | 71.41% | 2,125 | 26.14% | 199 | 2.45% |
| 1916 | 2,748 | 57.39% | 1,880 | 39.26% | 160 | 3.34% |
| 1912 | 902 | 19.85% | 1,631 | 35.89% | 2,012 | 44.27% |
| 1908 | 2,794 | 59.73% | 1,661 | 35.51% | 223 | 4.77% |
| 1904 | 3,137 | 67.48% | 1,212 | 26.07% | 300 | 6.45% |
| 1900 | 3,199 | 63.05% | 1,765 | 34.79% | 110 | 2.17% |
| 1896 | 2,969 | 58.49% | 2,013 | 39.66% | 94 | 1.85% |

## Poweshiek County Elected Officials

* County Supervisors: Chairman Jeff Tindle (R), Vice-Chair Jason Roudabush (D), Jacki Bolen (R)
* County Attorney: Bart Klaver (R)
* County Auditor: Missy Eilander (R)
* County Recorder: Lora Wyckoff (R)
* County Sheriff: Matt Maschmann (R)
* County Treasurer: Sandy Ross (R)

### Healthcare

Poweshiek County is served by Grinnell Regional Medical Center, an acute care hospital licensed for 81 beds. GRMC was established in 1967 after the merger of two hospitals.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 586 square miles (1,520 km$^2$), of which 585 square miles (1,520 km$^2$) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km$^2$) (0.2%) is water. It is drained by the north fork of Skunk River, which crosses the southwest corner, and by English River and other streams.

### Major highways

* Interstate 80
* U.S. Highway 6
* U.S. Highway 63
* Iowa Highway 21
* Iowa Highway 85
* Iowa Highway 146

### Transit

* List of intercity bus stops in Iowa

### Adjacent counties

* Tama County (north)
* Iowa County (east)
* Keokuk County (southeast)
* Mahaska County (south)
* Jasper County (west)

## Demographics
### 2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 18,662 in the county, with a population density of 31.7989/sq mi (12.2776/km$^2$). 96.55% of the population reported being of one race. There were 8,906 housing units, of which 7,536 were occupied.
Poweshiek County Racial Composition :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (NH) | 17,004 | 91.11% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 320 | 1.7% |
| Native American (NH) | 53 | 0.3% |
| Asian (NH) | 221 | 1.2% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 21 | 0.11% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 514 | 2.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 529 | 2.83% |

### 2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 18,914 in the county, with a population density of 32.3300/sq mi (12.4827/km$^2$). There were 8,949 housing units, of which 7,555 were occupied.

### 2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,815 people, 7,398 households, and 4,882 families in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12 people/km$^2$). There were 8,556 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (5.8/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 96.74% White, 0.55% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 7,398 households 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 29.2% of households were one person and 13.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88.
The age distribution was 22.7% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median household income was $37,836 and the median family income was $46,599. Males had a median income of $32,781 versus $22,465 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,629. About 6.2% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

Poweshiek County is served by three community school districts:
| District | Location | Num of campuses (inc. parochial) | Num of students | Student– teacher ratio | High school | District web site |
| BGM Community School District (Brooklyn–Guernsey–Malcom) | Brooklyn | 1 | 532 | - | BGM | BGM |
| Grinnell–Newburg Community School District | Grinnell | 6 | 1,475 | - | Grinnell | Grinnell |
| Montezuma Community School District | Montezuma | 1 | 537 | - | Montezuma | Montezuma |
Poweshiek County is home to Grinnell College, a small liberal arts college founded in 1846.
There is one private school in the county, Central Iowa Christian School, in Grinnell.

## Communities
### Cities

* Barnes City
* Brooklyn
* Deep River
* Grinnell
* Guernsey
* Hartwick
* Malcom
* Montezuma
* Searsboro
* Victor

### Unincorporated communities

* Ewart

## Population
### Political Townships

* Bear Creek
* Chester
* Deep River
* Grant
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lincoln
* Madison
* Malcom
* Pleasant
* Scott
* Sheridan
* Sugar Creek
* Union
* Warren
* Washington

### Census-designated places

* Holiday Lake

### Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 United States census.
† county seat
| Rank | City/town/etc. | Municipal type | Population (2020 Census) |
| 1 | Grinnell | City | 9,564 |
| 2 | Brooklyn | City | 1,502 |
| 3 | † Montezuma | City | 1,442 |
| 4 | Victor (mostly in Iowa County) | City | 875 |
| 5 | Holiday Lake | CDP | 473 |
| 6 | Malcom | City | 270 |
| 7 | Deep River | City | 249 |
| 8 | Barnes City (partially in Mahaska County) | City | 156 |
| 9 | Searsboro | City | 129 |
| 10 | Hartwick | City | 92 |
| 11 | Guernsey | City | 63 |