Adair County, Iowa
CountyAdair County
StateIowa
Ex imageAdair County Courthouse Greenfield IA.jpg
Ex image capAdair County Courthouse
Founded year1851
Seat wlGreenfield
Largest city wlGreenfield
State SenatorAmy Sinclair
State RepresentativeRay Sorensen
Area total570 sq mi
Area land569 sq mi
Area water1.0 sq mi
Area percentage0.2
Population as of2020
Population total7496
Pop est as of2025
Population est7403
Time zoneCentral
Webwww.adaircountyiowa.org
District3rd
Named forJohn Adair

Adair County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,496.[1] Its county seat is Greenfield.[2]

History

Adair County was formed in 1851 from sections of Pottawattamie County. It was named for John Adair, a general in the War of 1812, and the eighth Governor of Kentucky.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 570 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 569 square miles (1,470 km2) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.2%) is water.[3]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 7,496, resulting in a population density of . The median age was 44.0 years, with 22.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 23.4% 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.3 males age 18 and over.[4]

PL data indicates 96.88% of residents reported being of one race; 92.89% were non-Hispanic White, 0.61% were Black or African American, 2.48% were Hispanic or Latino, 0.25% were Native American, 0.31% were Asian, 0.03% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.43% were some other race or more than one race. When combining single races, 95.4% were White, 0.6% were Black or African American, 0.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% were Asian, <0.1% were Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.3% were some other race, and 3.1% were two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised approximately 2.5% of the population.[5]

There were 3,217 households in the county, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.8% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 3,585 housing units, of which 3,217 were occupied, and 10.3% were vacant; 75.6% of the occupied units were owner-occupied and 24.4% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 1.1% and a rental vacancy rate of 8.1%.[4]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[6]

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,682 people, 3,292 households, and 2,148 families residing in the county.[7] The population density was 13.5 inhabitants per square mile (5.2 /km2). There were 3,698 housing units at an average density of 6.5 inhabitants per square mile (2.5 /km2).[8] The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population.[7] In terms of ancestry, 42.9% were German, 12.6% were Irish, 11.9% were English, 6.7% were Danish, and 6.4% were American.[9]

Of the 3,292 households, 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.8% were non-families, and 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 45.3 years.[7]

The median income for a household in the county was $45,202 and the median income for a family was $57,287. Males had a median income of $38,638 versus $31,642 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,497. About 5.7% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.[10]

Religion

As of 2000, 67.9% of the population (5,597) had a declared religious affiliation, in every case Christian. The leading religious denomination was the United Methodist Church, with 23.6% of the population (1,944 members); second was the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, with 15.4% (1,268 members); third was the Roman Catholic church, with 12% of the population (1,003 members); and fourth was the Evangelical Lutheran church, with 11.8% of the population (978 members).[11]

Education

The county is served by five school districts:[12]

The schools in the Nodaway Valley Community School District are:[13]

The schools in the Orient-Macksburg Community School District are:[14]

The schools in the CAM Community School District are:[15]

The schools in the Adair–Casey Community School District are:[16]

The schools in the West Central Valley Community School District are:[18]

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Adair County is divided into sixteen townships:

Population ranking

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

† county seat

RankCity/Town/etc.Municipal typePopulation
(2020 Census)		Population
(2024 Estimate)
1† GreenfieldCity2,0621,975
2Adair (partially in Guthrie County)City773 (791 total)783 (801 total)
3Stuart (partially in Guthrie County)City723 (1,782 total)723 (1,885 total)
4FontanelleCity676680
5OrientCity368372
6BridgewaterCity148137
7Casey (mostly in Guthrie County)City19 (387 total)21 (389 total)

Politics

The county was part of Iowa's 5th congressional district, which had a score of R+9 (strongly Republican) in the Cook Partisan Voting Index.[19] It is now part of the 3rd district.

Adair County is located within Iowa's 23rd House of Representatives district and Iowa Senate District 12.

See also

References

  1. ^ "2020 Census State Redistricting Data". census.gov. United states Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  5. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  6. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  7. ^ "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  8. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  9. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  10. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  11. ^ "Religious Congregations & Membership: 2000" (jpg). Glenmary Research Center. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
  12. ^ Education, Iowa Department of (2009). "Iowa Educational Directory" (PDF). Iowa Department of Education. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  13. ^ Nodaway Valley Community School District (January 9, 2014). "Nodaway Valley CSD". Nodaway Valley Community School District. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  14. ^ Orient-Macksburg Community Schools (November 18, 2009). "Orient-Macksburg CSD". Orient-Macksburg Community Schools. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  15. ^ "Department of Education - Iowa School Performance Profiles". www.iaschoolperformance.gov. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "AC/GC Schools Website". www.acgcschools.org. Archived July 29, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  17. ^ "WGS Agreement 2020 w/signatures". Google Docs. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "West Central Valley CSD Website". West Central Valley CSD. Archived July 20, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  19. ^ The Cook Political Report (2009). "Partisan Voting Index: Districts of the 111th Congress". The Cook Political Report. Archived July 15, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 10, 2011.

Further reading

  • History of Adair County, Iowa, and Its People. Vol. 1. Pioneer publishing Company. 1915. ()
  • History of Adair County, Iowa, and Its People. Vol. 2. Pioneer publishing Company. 1915. ()