2020 Census data puts Clayton County population below 18,000
Clayton County’s population has dipped below 18,000 people, according to 2020 Census data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The population dropped by over 1,000 people since 2010, from 18,129 to 17,043, and is at the lowest amount since the 1850 Census recorded 3,873 people in the county.
The numbers represent where people were living as of April 1, 2020. The State Data Center said, overall, 99.9 percent of Iowa’s households were enumerated for the 24th decennial Census, with 71.5 percent of households self-responding and 28.4 percent requiring follow up from Census workers in order to be counted.
Among Clayton County communities, only six reported population increases. Clayton’s total was upped two people, from 43 to 45, while Garnavillo saw its number rise from 745 to 763. Luana welcomed 32 more people, growing from 269 to 301, and Marquette jumped from 375 to 429—an increase of 54.
Edgewood, which is located in both Clayton and Delaware counties, added 45 people over 10 years, from 864 to 909. The largest increase—276—was in Postville, which is split between Clayton and Allamakee counties. The city rose from 2,227 people in 2010 to 2,503 in 2020.
Two of the biggest declines were in McGregor and Guttenberg, communities with large seasonal populations. McGregor dropped 129 people in 10 years, from 871 to 742, while Guttenberg decreased from 1,919 to 1,817—a difference of 102. Strawberry Point also recorded a more significant drop, with 124 fewer people. The city’s total was 1,279 in 2010 and 1,155 in 2020.
Additionally, Monona’s population shrunk from 1,549 to 1,471, accounting for 78 fewer people, and Elkader went from 1,273 to 1,209, for a decrease of 64. Farmersburg came in at 271 people in 2021, down 31 from the 2010 amount of 302.
Other communities held fairly steady over the past decade. Osterdock decreased 16 people, from 59 to 42, while Garber and North Buena Vista both saw drops of 12. Garber went from 88 to 76 and North Buena Vista from 121 to 109. Elkport’s total changed from 37 to 29—a decline of eight people—and Volga saw a difference of five people, from 208 in 2010 to 203 in 2020. St. Olaf’s number dropped just two people, and now sits at 106.
The original Census timeline was delayed months due to the pandemic, and the Iowa Legislature will now use the 2020 Census data in the upcoming redistricting process. The population counts will also determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding is allocated to communities across the country.
