Lee County, Iowa

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Lee County, Iowa
Courthouse located in Fort Madison
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded	1836
Seat	Fort Madison and Keokuk
Largest city	Fort Madison
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	539 sq mi (1,396 km²) 518 sq mi (1,342 km²) 21 sq mi (54 km²), 4.0
Population  - (2020)  - Density	33,555
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.leecounty.org

Historic Lee County Savings Bank

Lee County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,555. The county seats are Fort Madison and Keokuk.

Lee County is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fort Madison dates to the War of 1812. Lee County was the location of the Half-Breed Tract, established by treaty in 1824. Allocations of land were made to American Indian descendants of European fathers and Indian mothers at this tract. Originally the land was to be held in common. Some who had an allocation lived in cities, where they hoped to make better livings.

Lee County as a named entity was formed on December 7, 1836, under the jurisdiction of Wisconsin Territory. It would become a part of Iowa Territory when it was formed on July 4, 1838. Large-scale European-American settlement in the area began in 1839, after Congress allowed owners to sell land individually. Members of the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) fled persecutions in Missouri to settle in Illinois and Iowa. Nauvoo, across the border in Hancock County, Illinois, became the main center of Latter-day Saints settlement, but there was also a Latter Day Saints stake organized in Lee County under the direction of John Smith, the uncle of Joseph Smith, land that was sold to them by Isaac Galland in 1839.

Lee has two county seats — Fort Madison and Keokuk. The latter was established in 1847 when disagreements led to a second court jurisdiction.

Lee County's population grew to about 19,000 in 1850, the first US census, to 37,000 per the 3rd census in 1870, peaking at 44,000 people in 1960. It has continuously decreased since and as of 2020, 33,555 people lived there, comparable to the years between 1860 and 1870.

Name

There is no agreement about the derivation of the name "Lee." It has been variously proposed that the county was named for Marsh, Delevan & Lee, of Albany, New York, and the 'New York Land Company', who owned extensive interests in the Half-Breed Tract in the 1830s; Robert E. Lee, who surveyed the Des Moines Rapids; or Albert Lea, who helped explore the interior of Iowa.

Geography

Lee County, Iowa and the "Half Breed Tract" historic map detail from a 1905 Iowa Census Map

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 539 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 518 square miles (1,340 km²) is land and 21 square miles (54 km²) (4.0%) is water. The lowest point in the state of Iowa is located on the Mississippi River in Keokuk in Lee County, where it flows out of Iowa and into Missouri and Illinois.

Major highways

• U.S. Route 61
• U.S. Route 136
• U.S. Route 218
• Iowa Highway 2
• Iowa Highway 16
• Iowa Highway 27

Adjacent counties

• Henry County (north)
• Des Moines County (northeast)
• Henderson County, Illinois (across the river east)
• Hancock County, Illinois (southeast)
• Clark County, Missouri (southwest)
• Van Buren County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	18,861		—
1860	29,565		56.8%
1870	37,210		25.9%
1880	34,859		−6.3%
1890	37,715		8.2%
1900	39,719		5.3%
1910	36,702		−7.6%
1920	39,676		8.1%
1930	41,268		4.0%
1940	41,074		−0.5%
1950	43,102		4.9%
1960	44,207		2.6%
1970	42,996		−2.7%
1980	43,106		0.3%
1990	38,687		−10.3%
2000	38,052		−1.6%
2010	35,862		−5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

Population of Lee County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 33,555 in the county, with a population density of 62.0765/sq mi (23.9679/km²). 94.67% of the population reported being of one race. 87.10% were non-Hispanic White, 2.71% were Black, 3.31% were Hispanic, 0.21% were Native American, 0.42% were Asian, 0.02% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 6.23% were some other race or more than one race. There were 15,858 housing units, of which 14,036 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,862 with a population density of 69.3133/sq mi (26.7620/km²). There were 16,205 housing units, of which only 14,610 were occupied.

2000 census

2000 Census age pyramid for Lee County

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,052 people, 15,161 households, and 10,248 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 16,612 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.24% White, 2.80% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,161 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.70% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,193, and the median income for a family was $42,658. Males had a median income of $32,286 versus $21,821 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,430. About 7.10% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Courthouse in Keokuk in 1900

Cities

• Donnellson
• Fort Madison
• Franklin
• Houghton
• Keokuk
• Montrose
• St. Paul
• West Point

Census-designated places

• Argyle
• Denmark
• Mooar
• Sandusky
• Wever

Other unincorporated communities

• Charleston
• Croton
• New Boston
• Pilot Grove

Townships

• Cedar
• Charleston
• Denmark
• Des Moines
• Franklin
• Green Bay
• Harrison
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Madison
• Marion
• Montrose
• Pleasant Ridge
• Van Buren
• Washington
• West Point

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Lee County.

† county seat

Rank	City/town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Fort Madison	City	10,270
2	† Keokuk	City	9,900
3	West Point	City	921
4	Donnellson	City	885
5	Montrose	City	738
6	Denmark	CDP	425
7	Mooar	CDP	321
8	Sandusky	CDP	297
9	Houghton	City	141
10	Franklin	City	131
11	St. Paul	City	109
12	Wever	CDP	101
13	Argyle	CDP	91

Notable people

• Cleng Peerson (1783–1865), pioneer settler in Lee County in 1840
• Richard Proenneke (1916–2003), naturalist, subject of books and documentary
• William Elliott Whitmore (born 1978), singer and songwriter

Politics

In recent presidential elections, Lee County had a strong Democratic lean, voting for the party's candidate in every election from 1984 to 2012. In 2016 however, the county swung hard to vote for Republican Donald Trump by a wide margin, a swing of over 31 points compared to 2012. President Trump improved on his 2016 performance in 2020, capturing 58% of the vote, higher than his 2016 share of 54%.

United States presidential election results for Lee County, Iowa

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	9,773	58.40%	6,541	39.09%	420	2.51%
2016	8,803	54.50%	6,215	38.48%	1,133	7.02%
2012	7,785	41.17%	10,714	56.65%	412	2.18%
2008	7,062	40.99%	9,821	57.00%	347	2.01%
2004	7,472	41.84%	10,152	56.85%	234	1.31%
2000	6,339	38.25%	9,632	58.12%	601	3.63%
1996	4,932	31.49%	8,831	56.38%	1,899	12.12%
1992	4,777	27.85%	9,366	54.61%	3,009	17.54%
1988	6,228	36.02%	10,911	63.11%	151	0.87%
1984	8,756	49.17%	8,912	50.04%	141	0.79%
1980	8,793	48.14%	8,204	44.92%	1,268	6.94%
1976	8,195	46.92%	9,017	51.63%	253	1.45%
1972	9,748	55.33%	7,510	42.63%	360	2.04%
1968	8,883	49.25%	8,076	44.78%	1,077	5.97%
1964	6,321	34.02%	12,244	65.89%	17	0.09%
1960	10,765	52.00%	9,936	48.00%	0	0.00%
1956	11,571	58.35%	8,226	41.48%	32	0.16%
1952	12,289	58.61%	8,625	41.13%	55	0.26%
1948	7,801	45.32%	9,201	53.46%	210	1.22%
1944	9,406	53.03%	8,252	46.53%	78	0.44%
1940	10,616	53.71%	9,117	46.12%	33	0.17%
1936	8,955	46.36%	9,630	49.85%	732	3.79%
1932	7,084	39.57%	10,624	59.35%	194	1.08%
1928	11,645	59.86%	7,785	40.02%	25	0.13%
1924	9,999	54.41%	4,903	26.68%	3,475	18.91%
1920	10,763	65.94%	5,177	31.72%	383	2.35%
1916	4,395	51.18%	3,993	46.50%	199	2.32%
1912	2,016	23.66%	3,891	45.67%	2,613	30.67%
1908	4,262	46.61%	4,706	51.47%	176	1.92%
1904	4,612	52.71%	3,848	43.98%	289	3.30%
1900	4,486	45.88%	5,182	53.00%	110	1.12%
1896	4,847	47.70%	5,153	50.71%	162	1.59%
1892	3,971	43.46%	4,956	54.24%	210	2.30%
1888	3,820	44.44%	4,650	54.10%	125	1.45%
1884	3,285	43.81%	4,204	56.06%	10	0.13%
1880	3,098	43.86%	3,464	49.04%	502	7.11%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lee County, Iowa
• Lee County Courthouse in use in Fort Madison, original and oldest courthouse
• Lee County Courthouse in use in Keokuk, originally a Federal courthouse and post office

External links

• Lee County government's website