Sioux County, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sioux County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of 2000, the population was 31,589. Its county seat is Orange City6.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,991 km² (769 mi²). 1,989 km² (768 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.09%) is water.
[edit] Major Highways
U.S. Highway 18
U.S. Highway 75
Iowa Highway 10
Iowa Highway 12
Iowa Highway 60
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Lyon County (north)
- O'Brien County (east)
- Plymouth County (south)
- Union County, South Dakota (southwest)
- Lincoln County, South Dakota (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 31,589 people, 10,693 households, and 8,062 families residing in the county. The population density was 16/km² (41/mi²). There were 11,260 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (15/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.33% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. 2.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,693 households out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.40% were married couples living together, 4.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.60% were non-families. 22.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the county the population was spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 15.20% from 18 to 24, 23.50% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,536, and the median income for a family was $45,846. Males had a median income of $31,548 versus $19,963 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,532. About 4.60% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.90% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Politics
Sioux County traditionally has been one of the counties in the nation most loyal to the Republican Party. In the 2004 presidential election, residents voted for George W. Bush over John Kerry by 14,229 to 2,259 vote margin - the largest margin of any county in Iowa. Local political custom dictates that the "real" election is the Republican primary. Having won that the nominee runs virtually unopposed in the November election. A large contributing factor to this dedication to the Republican party is the county's roots of moral and finacial conservitism.
[edit] Higher Education
Sioux County is the home to two 4 year liberal arts colleges; Northwestern College (of Iowa) in Orange City and Dordt College in Sioux Center. Both of these schools have enrollments over 1,000. Northwest Iowa Community College is also in Sioux County though it is most often associated with community of Sheldon in O'Brien County.
