Jackson County, Iowa

History

The county was formed on December 21, 1837 and named after US President Andrew Jackson.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 650 square miles (1,700 km²), of which 636 square miles (1,650 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (2.1%) is water. Its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

State protected areas

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 19,848 in the county, with a population density of 31.2031/sq mi (12.0476/km²). There were 9,415 housing units, of which 8,289 were occupied.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,296 people, 8,078 households, and 5,589 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,949 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.96% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,078 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.20% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.80% 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 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,529, and the median income for a family was $42,526. Males had a median income of $29,334 versus $20,577 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,329. About 7.70% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The three-member board of supervisors that governs Jackson County is composed of Larry "Buck" Koos, Jack Willey, and Larry McDevitt. Their Executive Assistant is LuAnn Goeke.

Assessor

Current employees are:

County Attorney's office

The responsibilities of the County Attorney include prosecuting violations of the laws of the State of Iowa and County Ordinances, representing the State and the Department of Human Services in Child in Need of Assistance cases, representing applicants in mental and substance abuse commitments, and representing the County in all civil matters. The position of County Attorney is an elected position in the state of Iowa. The current employees of the office are:

Auditor's office

Current employees are:

Case Management

Current employees are:

Conservation

Current employees are:

Emergency Management

Current employee: Lyn Medinger

Engineer

Current employees are:

Health Department

Current employees:

Maintenance

Current employees:

Adult Probation

Renee Behr

Recorder

Current employees are:

Sheriff's office

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency located in the county. The headquarters for the Sheriff's Department are in Maquoketa, Iowa. The department is led by an elected Sheriff. The current Sheriff is Russ Kettmann.

The Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement for unincorporated areas in the county, and performs various civil procedures. Like other departments, the department uses the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Interceptor, and Chevy Impala as its primary patrol vehicles. A Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram truck is also used for patrol.

The department consists of the sheriff, nine full-time deputies, and one part-time deputy. Current employees of the department are:

Solid Waste

Current employee: Mark Beck

Treasurer

Current employees are:

Veteran's Affairs

Current employees are:

Zoning

Current employee: Ben Kober

Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services

Fire protection in the county is left up to the discretion of the cities within the county. The towns of Maquoketa, Preston, Miles, Springbrook, Sabula, Baldwin, Bellevue, Andrew and La Motte all have their own fire departments providing protection for the whole county. Most city fire departments also provide rescue services. Fire equipment usually consists of Engines, Tankers and brush trucks as well as most fire departments owning a Rescue truck. The Maquoketa Fire department also owns a Ladder truck. Most firefighters certify as Iowa Firefighter One and HAZMAT Operations and some also are certified as EMTs. The towns of Maquoketa, Preston, Sabula and Bellevue also have their own Ambulance Services which provide coverage for the county while towns not having ambulances have First Responder units and contract ambulance response to a nearby community. All firefighters in Jackson County are volunteers and most EMS personnel are also volunteers however the Maquoketa Ambulance Service is a paid service. All Jackson County departments are members of the Jackson County Firefighters Association and the Iowa Firefighters Association. Mutual Aid Agreements from surrounding Iowa counties as well as the state of Illinois are in place to provide additional help during emergencies which tax the county emergency resources beyond their limits.

Hospital

Jackson County has one Hospital in Maquoketa. This is known as the Jackson County Regional Health Center. As of 2016 the County Hospital is under the administration of Genesis Healthcare. Patients near Maquoketa will be transported to this hospital while patients in areas closer to Clinton County will most likely be taken to Mercy Medical Center in Clinton Iowa. Some patients in areas closer to Dubuque County are taken to Mercy or Finley Hospitals both in the city of Dubuque.

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Ref:[1]

Townships

Jackson County is divided into 18 townships:

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Jackson County.

† county seat