Cedar County is a county in Iowa, United States, roughly midway between Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities. It had a population of 18,505 at the 2020 census and covers 579 square miles (1,500 km2) of land centred near 41°46′N 91°08′W.
Tipton is the county seat and its postal code is 52772. The county has three incorporated cities, four incorporated towns, two census-designated places and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities, spread across 17 civil townships. Cedar County sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Cedar County
Cedar County’s largest places are Wilton, West Branch, Tipton and Durant, each with its own city government; smaller settlements range from incorporated towns like Bennett and Stanwood to crossroads communities that never incorporated. In the table below, City is a self-governing city, Town a smaller incorporated town, CDP an unincorporated census-designated place, and Unincorp. a community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tipton | City · seat | 3,149 | 52772 |
| Wilton | City | 2,924 | 52778 |
| West Branch | City | 2,509 | 52358 |
| Durant | City | 1,871 | 52747 |
| Clarence | Town | 1,039 | 52216 |
| Mechanicsville | Town | 1,020 | 52306 |
| Lowden | Town | 807 | 52255 |
| Stanwood | Town | 637 | 52337 |
| Bennett | Town | 347 | 52721 |
| Rochester | CDP | 142 | — |
| Downey | CDP | — | — |
| Ayresville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buchanan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Centerdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lime City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Massillon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Plato | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Springdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunbury | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wald | Unincorp. | — | — |
Tipton MH Park and West Branch MH Village, carried on some older lists, are manufactured-home parks rather than separate places and are folded into Tipton and West Branch above. Massillon and Springdale share their names with the townships that surround them — each is a small crossroads settlement, not the township itself.
ZIP Codes
- 52772 — Tipton
- 52778 — Wilton
- 52358 — West Branch
- 52747 — Durant
- 52216 — Clarence
- 52306 — Mechanicsville
- 52255 — Lowden
- 52337 — Stanwood
- 52721 — Bennett
Unincorporated communities and the Rochester and Downey CDPs use the ZIP code of their nearest post-office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Cedar County lies on the rolling till plains of eastern Iowa, drained by the Cedar River, which crosses the county and gave it its name, along with Rock Creek and Sugar Creek. The land is mostly cropland, with wooded corridors along the river bottoms. The county borders Jones County to the north, Clinton County to the northeast, Scott County to the southeast, Muscatine County to the south, Johnson County to the west, and Linn County to the northwest.
Jones County to the north has no live page on this site yet, and Linn County to the northwest is not currently reachable at a matching address.
Demographics
Cedar County had 18,505 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a population density of roughly 32 people per square mile. Wilton and Tipton are its two largest communities. The county’s median household income runs below the Iowa median of $71,433, reflecting its largely rural, agricultural economy.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors Cedar County’s economy, with corn and soybean farming dominant across its townships. Tipton, the county seat, hosts the county courthouse and county government offices along with small manufacturing and service businesses. West Branch, at the county’s western edge, draws visitors to the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and Presidential Library-Museum, the birthplace of the 31st U.S. president. Wilton is known locally for the Wilton Candy Kitchen, an ice cream parlor and soda fountain operating since 1856.
History
Cedar County was organized on December 21, 1837, formed from land taken out of Dubuque County, and named for the Cedar River. Tipton, laid out in 1840, has served as the county seat since the county’s early years. In 1931, the county became the flashpoint of the Iowa Cow War, when farmers near Tipton violently resisted state-ordered tuberculosis testing of cattle, drawing national attention to the dispute between agricultural regulation and rural landowners.
Getting There
- Cedar Rapids — about 25 miles northwest
- Iowa City — about 20 miles southwest
- Davenport — about 30 miles southeast
- Muscatine — about 20 miles south
U.S. Route 30 and U.S. Route 6 cross the county east–west, and Iowa Highway 38 runs north–south through Tipton. The nearest commercial airport is the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Cedar County, Iowa?
It sits in eastern Iowa between Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the Quad Cities, drained by the Cedar River.
What is the population of Cedar County?
18,505 people at the 2020 census.
How big is Cedar County?
579 square miles (1,500 km2) of land, plus 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) of water.
What is the Cedar County seat?
Tipton is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Cedar County?
Nine incorporated cities and towns, plus two CDPs and about a dozen smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Cedar County?
Nine ZIP codes cover the county’s towns, from 52772 in Tipton to 52721 in Bennett.
Why is it called Cedar County?
It is named for the Cedar River, and is the only county in Iowa named after a tree.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Iowa.