Buchanan County, Iowa

Buchanan County
County
Buchanan County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 42°28′19″N 91°50′21″W / 42.471944444444°N 91.839166666667°W / 42.471944444444; -91.839166666667
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1837
Named for	James Buchanan
Seat	Independence
Largest city	Independence
Area
• Total	573 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Land	571 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	20,565
• Estimate  (2023)	20,691
• Density	36/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.buchanancountyiowa.org

Buchanan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,565.^[1] Its county seat is Independence.^[2] The county was created in 1837 and was named in honor of Senator James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States.

Buchanan County was formed on December 21, 1837, from parts of Dubuque County. It was named after US Senator James Buchanan, who would later go on to be President of the United States.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 573 square miles (1,480 km²), of which 571 square miles (1,480 km²) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[3]

• Interstate 380
• U.S. Highway 20
• Iowa Highway 27
• Iowa Highway 150
• Iowa Highway 187
• Iowa Highway 281

• Clayton County (northeast)
• Fayette County (north)
• Delaware County (east)
• Linn County (southeast)
• Benton County (southwest)
• Black Hawk County (west)
• Bremer County (northwest)

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	517		—
1860	7,906		1,429.2%
1870	17,034		115.5%
1880	18,546		8.9%
1890	18,997		2.4%
1900	21,427		12.8%
1910	19,748		−7.8%
1920	19,890		0.7%
1930	19,550		−1.7%
1940	20,991		7.4%
1950	21,927		4.5%
1960	22,293		1.7%
1970	21,746		−2.5%
1980	22,900		5.3%
1990	20,844		−9.0%
2000	21,093		1.2%
2010	20,958		−0.6%
2020	20,565		−1.9%
2023 (est.)	20,691	[4]	0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010-2018[9]

The 2020 census recorded a population of 20,565 in the county, with a population density of 35.9886/sq mi (13.8953/km²). 97.06% of the population reported being of one race. 94.13% were non-Hispanic White, 0.35% were Black, 1.64% were Hispanic, 0.14% were Native American, 0.25% were Asian, 0.06% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.43% were some other race or more than one race. There were 8,886 housing units of which 8,198 were occupied.^[1]

The 2010 census recorded a population of 20,958 in the county, with a population density of 36.70/sq mi (14.172/km²). There were 8,968 housing units, of which 8,161 were occupied.^[10]

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 21,093 people, 7,933 households, and 5,672 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile (14 people/km²). There were 8,697 housing units at an average density of 15 units per square mile (5.8 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.41% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,933 households, out of which 34.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,036, and the median income for a family was $45,421. Males had a median income of $30,212 versus $22,356 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,405. About 6.80% of families and 9.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.90% of those under age 18 and 7.60% of those age 65 or over.

A number of historic communities in Buchanan County once appeared on state maps, but no longer exist. Hamerville was located east of Brandon at the intersection of Highway 150. Today, the site is the location of three farmhouses. Vista, once located between Brandon and Independence, appeared on maps frequently until the 1950s. This site is not even accessed by paved road. Kier, between Fairbank and Littleton, appeared on many maps in the 19th century and early 20th century. The area is now settled by Amish. Several towns named Middlefield existed southeast of Winthrop, but none are populated today. Newtonville was located a few miles south of Monti. The houses at Castleville were later moved to Aurora. Wise, once located between Independence and Jesup just north of Highway 939, was a train-stop between the 1920s and the 1950s. Little remains at the site. Kiene was founded in 1911 between Quasqueton and Monti, but was empty by 1955. Few or even no houses remain at any of these sites.

Buchanan County is divided into sixteen townships:

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Buchanan County.^[1]

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Independence	City	6,064
2	Jesup (partially in Black Hawk County)	City	2,508
3	Fairbank (partially in Fayette County)	City	1,111
4	Winthrop	City	823
5	Hazleton	City	713
6	Quasqueton	City	570
7	Lamont	City	429
8	Brandon	City	341
9	Rowley	City	270
10	Aurora	City	169
11	Stanley (partially in Fayette County)	City	81

School districts in the county include:^[12]

In the period prior to July 1966 the county had two school districts, serving Amish groups, which did not operate high schools. The Iowa legislature had passed a law requiring school districts which did not operate school districts to merge into ones that did.^[13]

Buchanan County is home to the Hazleton Old Order Amish settlement, founded in 1914, that in 1987 had to six church districts (congregations) with an estimated population of about 1,200 Amish. The Buchanan Amish affiliation is named after Buchanan County.^[14]

From the founding of the Republican Party in 1854 through 1984, the party won nearly every presidential election in Buchanan County. The exceptions were 1864, 1912 (when former Republican Theodore Roosevelt ran as a Progressive, allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the county with a sub-40% plurality), the two landslide elections of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and the landslide election of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The county took a leftward shift beginning in 1988, voting for the Democratic nominee in every election from then until 2012 and by a margin of at least 10% in each election in that span except for 1992 and 2004. In 2016, Donald Trump swung the county back to the right, shifting the county 29% to the right from 2012, as Trump won the county by a margin of over 15%. Trump improved on this performance in 2020, taking nearly 60% of the county's vote and winning by a margin of almost 21%, the best vote share for any candidate in the county since 1964.

United States presidential election results for Buchanan County, Iowa^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,420	59.59%	4,169	38.70%	185	1.72%
2016	5,510	53.75%	3,970	38.72%	772	7.53%
2012	4,450	42.24%	5,911	56.11%	174	1.65%
2008	4,139	40.02%	6,050	58.50%	153	1.48%
2004	4,797	45.79%	5,608	53.54%	70	0.67%
2000	4,092	43.49%	5,045	53.61%	273	2.90%
1996	3,043	34.00%	4,997	55.83%	911	10.18%
1992	3,313	34.32%	4,166	43.15%	2,175	22.53%
1988	3,495	42.00%	4,778	57.42%	48	0.58%
1984	4,965	54.25%	4,129	45.12%	58	0.63%
1980	5,041	53.50%	3,605	38.26%	776	8.24%
1976	4,794	51.98%	4,258	46.17%	171	1.85%
1972	5,277	58.32%	3,609	39.89%	162	1.79%
1968	4,541	52.35%	3,670	42.31%	463	5.34%
1964	3,187	36.12%	5,621	63.71%	15	0.17%
1960	5,179	54.90%	4,251	45.07%	3	0.03%
1956	5,512	61.01%	3,513	38.88%	10	0.11%
1952	6,431	67.81%	3,019	31.83%	34	0.36%
1948	4,310	50.57%	4,127	48.42%	86	1.01%
1944	4,653	54.69%	3,841	45.15%	14	0.16%
1940	5,630	54.61%	4,649	45.10%	30	0.29%
1936	4,734	47.85%	5,025	50.79%	135	1.36%
1932	4,401	46.33%	5,004	52.67%	95	1.00%
1928	5,885	65.36%	3,099	34.42%	20	0.22%
1924	5,459	63.10%	1,780	20.58%	1,412	16.32%
1920	6,334	79.20%	1,600	20.01%	63	0.79%
1916	3,000	61.79%	1,808	37.24%	47	0.97%
1912	1,271	26.93%	1,866	39.54%	1,582	33.52%
1908	2,552	55.76%	1,889	41.27%	136	2.97%
1904	2,798	60.93%	1,545	33.65%	249	5.42%
1900	2,958	56.95%	2,053	39.53%	183	3.52%
1896	2,865	55.30%	2,233	43.10%	83	1.60%

• James "Jim" Smith, murdered Iowa State Trooper^[16]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Buchanan County, Iowa

• Website for Buchanan County
• Buchanan County Economic Development Commission's website

42°28′19″N 91°50′21″W / 42.47194°N 91.83917°W / 42.47194; -91.83917