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Clayton County
Clayton County
County
	Winter scene near Elkader
	Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
	Iowa's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 42°50′37″N 91°20′36″W / 42.843611111111°N 91.343333333333°W
Country	United States
State	Iowa
Founded	1837
Named for	John M. Clayton
Seat	Elkader
Largest city	Guttenberg
Area
• Total	793 sq mi (2,050 km2)
• Land	779 sq mi (2,020 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2) 1.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	17,043
• Density	21/sq mi (8.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.claytoncountyia.gov

Clayton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,043.^[1] Its county seat is Elkader.^[2] The county was established in 1837 and was named in honor of John M. Clayton,^[3] United States Senator from Delaware and later Secretary of State under President Zachary Taylor.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 793 square miles (2,050 km²), of which 779 square miles (2,020 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (1.8%) is water.^[4] It is the fifth-largest county in Iowa by area.

Adjacent counties

Allamakee County (north)
Crawford County, Wisconsin (northeast)
Grant County, Wisconsin (east)
Dubuque County (southeast)
Delaware County (south)
Buchanan County (southwest)
Fayette County (west)
Winneshiek County (northwest)

Major highways

National protected areas

Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Effigy Mounds National Monument (part)
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

Geology

Clayton County is part of the Driftless Area, a region that completely missed being ice-covered during the last ice age. Streams have deeply carved valleys, while the Mississippi River has spectacular bluffs.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	3,873		—
1860	20,728		435.2%
1870	27,771		34.0%
1880	28,829		3.8%
1890	26,733		−7.3%
1900	27,750		3.8%
1910	25,576		−7.8%
1920	25,032		−2.1%
1930	24,559		−1.9%
1940	24,334		−0.9%
1950	22,522		−7.4%
1960	21,962		−2.5%
1970	20,606		−6.2%
1980	21,098		2.4%
1990	19,054		−9.7%
2000	18,678		−2.0%
2010	18,129		−2.9%
2020	17,043		−6.0%
2023 (est.)	16,969	^[5]	−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6] 1790-1960^[7] 1900-1990^[8] 1990-2000^[9] 2010-2018^[10]

Population of Clayton County from US census data

2020 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Clayton County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 17,043 in the county, with a population density of 21.5323/sq mi (8.31366/km²). 97.51% of the population reported being of one race. 93.21% were non-Hispanic White, 0.93% were Black, 2.01% were Hispanic, 0.25% were Native American, 0.28% were Asian, 0.04% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 3.29% were some other race or more than one race. There were 8,758 housing units, of which 7,315 were occupied.^[1]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 18,130 in the county, with a population density of 23.272/sq mi (8.985/km²). There were 8,999 housing units, of which 7,599 were occupied.^[11]

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 18,678 people, about 7,500 households, and 1 family residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9.3 people/km²). There were 8,620 housing units at an average density of 11 units per square mile (4.2 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.93% White, 0.14% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,375 households, out of which 30.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.70% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 18.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,068, and the median income for a family was $40,199. Males had a median income of $27,165 versus $19,644 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,930. About 5.70% of families and 8.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.60% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Clayton County is divided into these townships:

Population ranking

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

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Population (2020 Census)
1	Postville (partially in Allamakee County)	2,503
2	Guttenberg	1,817
3	Monona	1,471
4	† Elkader	1,209
5	Strawberry Point	1,155
6	Edgewood (partially in Delaware County)	909
7	Garnavillo	763
8	McGregor	742
9	Marquette	429
10	Luana	301
11	Farmersburg	271
12	Volga	203
13	North Buena Vista	109
14	St. Olaf	106
15	Garber	76
16	Clayton	45
17	Osterdock	43
18	Elkport	29

Politics

United States presidential election results for Clayton County, Iowa^[13]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	6,255	66.54%	3,017	32.10%	128	1.36%
2020	6,106	63.64%	3,340	34.81%	148	1.54%
2016	5,317	58.24%	3,237	35.46%	575	6.30%
2012	4,164	45.57%	4,806	52.59%	168	1.84%
2008	3,651	40.61%	5,195	57.79%	144	1.60%
2004	4,312	47.03%	4,736	51.66%	120	1.31%
2000	4,034	47.07%	4,238	49.45%	299	3.49%
1996	2,944	35.93%	4,284	52.28%	966	11.79%
1992	3,044	33.12%	3,742	40.72%	2,404	26.16%
1988	3,839	46.58%	4,320	52.41%	83	1.01%
1984	5,029	58.80%	3,446	40.29%	78	0.91%
1980	5,115	55.56%	3,297	35.81%	794	8.62%
1976	4,826	54.80%	3,804	43.19%	177	2.01%
1972	5,447	60.20%	3,366	37.20%	235	2.60%
1968	5,132	57.81%	3,168	35.68%	578	6.51%
1964	3,923	41.08%	5,624	58.89%	3	0.03%
1960	6,441	58.25%	4,612	41.71%	4	0.04%
1956	6,529	59.76%	4,384	40.12%	13	0.12%
1952	7,669	67.22%	3,730	32.70%	9	0.08%
1948	5,151	50.94%	4,857	48.04%	103	1.02%
1944	5,855	57.61%	4,259	41.91%	49	0.48%
1940	7,443	59.86%	4,973	40.00%	18	0.14%
1936	5,017	41.00%	6,731	55.01%	488	3.99%
1932	3,725	33.46%	7,347	65.99%	62	0.56%
1928	6,774	61.28%	4,231	38.28%	49	0.44%
1924	4,168	41.48%	1,556	15.48%	4,325	43.04%
1920	6,747	77.50%	1,808	20.77%	151	1.73%
1916	3,347	57.54%	2,379	40.90%	91	1.56%
1912	1,239	21.14%	2,919	49.80%	1,703	29.06%
1908	2,773	47.04%	3,026	51.33%	96	1.63%
1904	3,339	54.59%	2,628	42.96%	150	2.45%
1900	3,366	53.07%	2,884	45.47%	92	1.45%
1896	3,302	52.16%	2,910	45.96%	119	1.88%