The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-12
fewer people
LIVE ON FARMS.
Rural Population Of State Has De.
creased In Ten Years, Accord
Ing to the Figures
Available.
ONLY 4s PER CENT. NOW
Decade Before II Was s1.2.Per Cent
Of the WhoIe-Maies
outnumber the
Females.
ONLY 4s PER GENT. NOW

IuIA -pOpUldllOu OL IOWA 70 Ao" 1o'S
per cent of the whole. Ten years
has been an actual decline in rural
population is certain. The present
rural population is 1,080.112 as
against 1,l42,114 ten years ago. But
the loss was more than made up by
a gain OF 21O,O14 in the urban popula-
ton in the same time. The county
having greatest gain OF rural popu-
lation is Lyon and the county OF
greatest decrease Of rural population
is Mahaska-
The county of greatest density OF
rural population is still Monroe. be-
cause of the fact that a large part OF
the mining population lives outside OF
the towns. Scott county comes next
and then Polk. The density of rural
population ranges from 45.4 per
square mile in Monroe to 1876 per
square mile in Dickinson. But feat
ure of the census report Is that II
shows comparatively even distribu-
ton among all the counties of the
state Of the rural population.
The number of births in Iowa aver
ages about 1880 and the number OF
deaths 20, 900, which indicates that
Iowa people are doing, their share In
keeping up the population OF the
earth. The census returns show that
of the present population of Iowa
], 551. 914 were born In the state. The
number Of Iowans who were born IN
the United States, but not In Iowa, Is
541.9S8. OF those born in Iowa there
is this division: Males, 7S0,5OS; fe-
males. I'll, 4O5. The co1ored popula-
ton, which includes all not white OF
whatever race, numbers 1874, OF
which 1892 are males and 1872 are
females.
More Males Than Females.
The males in Iowa o1rtnumber the
females, the numbers being: Males,
1,212,9S8; females. i,f45,O7S.
There are 500, 421 persons in the
state of militia age, and 684,939 males
OF voting age and native or natural
lied.
Dividing the population into age
classes, the following is found: Per
sons of school age, 755.925; persons
over school age, 1,3S3,3S1. There was
an increase in ten years Of II per
cent In the number OF persons under
school age, q decrease OF II per cent
in the number of persons of school
age, and an increase Of LES per cent
in the number OF persons over school
age.
The average number OF persons in
Iowa to the square mile Is 42.4 and
the average number of persons re-
siding outside cities and towns Is 1914
per square mile.
Growth Slow But Steady.
The growth Of Iowa, not only In
material things but in population, has
been in the past two decades slow and
steady but sure, and at no time has
there been an actual loss OF pOpula-
ton for the state as a whole. There
has been no ten year period nor hve
year period that has witnessed any
going backward in population There
has been shifting from county to
county or section to section, and
from country to town, but the steady
outflow OF population has been at all
times offset by increase due to nat
url increase and immigration from
other states.
This is one Of the main facts that
must be inferred from careful an
alysis of the census statistics for
1915 and comparison with other state
and federal enumeraffons. 1t is
som ething that could not have been
demonstrated until now, even though
many Iowa people have felt all along
that the tradition about Iowa's loss
Of population" as shown by the feder-
al census comparisons was a myth.
The natural decline In rural popu-
latfon, which Is phenomenon COM
mon to all the middle and eastern
states where cities are making giant
strides, resulted in reversal OF con-
ditions in iowa just prior to 1910, so
that since that time the urban, or city
and town population has been great
er than the total rural population.