Crawford County is a county in Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River, in the west-central part of the state. It had a population of 16,525 at the 2020 census and covers 715 square miles (1,852 km2) centred near 42°02′35″N 95°23′21″W.
Denison is the county seat, and its postal code is 51442. The county contains 9 incorporated cities and about a dozen unincorporated communities. It lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Crawford County
Crawford County has 9 incorporated cities, led by the seat, Denison, plus a scatter of unincorporated communities along the Boyer River and its tributaries. Iowa law makes no legal distinction between “town” and “city” — every incorporated place here holds city status. The table below marks incorporated places as City (or City · seat for Denison) and everything else as Unincorp.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denison | City · seat | 8,373 | 51442 |
| Schleswig | City | 830 | 51461 |
| Manilla | City | 775 | 51454 |
| Charter Oak | City | 535 | 51439 |
| Dow City | City | 485 | 51528 |
| Vail | City | 396 | 51465 |
| Westside | City | 285 | 51467 |
| Kiron | City | 267 | 51448 |
| Deloit | City | 250 | 51441 |
| Arion | Unincorp. | — | 51520 |
| Aspinwall | Unincorp. | — | 51432 |
| Ricketts | Unincorp. | — | 51460 |
| Astor | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Berne | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Boyer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Buck Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Haley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kenwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Kimze | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Country View MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunset Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 51442 — Denison
- 51454 — Manilla
- 51461 — Schleswig
- 51439 — Charter Oak
- 51465 — Vail
- 51528 — Dow City
- 51448 — Kiron
- 51467 — Westside
- 51441 — Deloit
- 51520 — Arion
- 51460 — Ricketts (PO Box delivery only)
- 51432 — Aspinwall (PO Box delivery only)
Astor, Berne, Boyer, Buck Grove, Country View MH Park, Haley, Kenwood, Kimze and Sunset Village have no ZIP code of their own; mail for these communities is served by the nearest post office town listed above.
Geography
Crawford County sits in the Loess Hills transition zone of western Iowa, with rolling, wind-deposited terrain drained by the Boyer River, which runs south through the middle of the county past Denison and Dow City. Of the county’s 715 square miles, 714 square miles are land and just under 1 square mile is water.
Crawford County borders eight other counties: Ida County to the north, Sac County to the northeast, Carroll County to the east, Audubon County to the southeast, Shelby County to the south, Harrison County to the southwest, Monona County to the west, and Woodbury County to the northwest.
Demographics
Crawford County’s population was 16,525 at the 2020 census, for a density of roughly 23 people per square mile of land. Denison, the seat, is by far the largest community at 8,373 residents, followed by Schleswig at 830. Crawford County’s median household income runs well below the Iowa median of $71,433, reflecting the county’s agricultural and meatpacking economic base rather than the more diversified metro counties along Iowa’s interstate corridors.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture and food processing anchor the local economy. Corn and soybean row-crop farming and hog production dominate the countryside, and Denison is home to a large Tyson Foods meatpacking plant, one of the county’s biggest single employers and a draw for the area’s sizable Latino and immigrant workforce. Denison is also known as the birthplace of actress Donna Reed, and the city hosts the Donna Reed Festival for the Arts each June, drawing visitors for film screenings, live music and workshops.
History
Crawford County was created by the Iowa legislature on January 15, 1851, and organized on September 3, 1855. It was named for William Harris Crawford, a U.S. senator from Georgia who later served as Secretary of the Treasury. Denison was platted as the county seat in the 1850s and grew as a rail and market town on the Boyer River; the county’s small towns, including Schleswig and Manilla, trace their roots to German and other European immigrant farming communities that settled the area in the second half of the 19th century.
Getting There
U.S. Route 30, the historic Lincoln Highway, crosses Crawford County east-west through Denison, and U.S. Route 59 runs north-south through the county. Iowa Highways 37, 39 and 141 connect the smaller towns.
- Carroll — about 25 miles east
- Sioux City — about 60 miles northwest
- Omaha, Nebraska — about 65 miles southwest
- Des Moines — about 110 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Crawford County, Iowa?
It is in the west-central part of the state, along the Boyer River, roughly 65 miles northeast of Omaha, Nebraska.
What is the population of Crawford County?
16,525 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Crawford County?
715 square miles (1,852 km2), of which 714 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Crawford County?
Denison is the county seat.
How many towns are in Crawford County?
Nine incorporated cities, plus a number of small unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Crawford County?
The main ZIP codes are 51442 (Denison), 51454 (Manilla), 51461 (Schleswig), 51439 (Charter Oak), 51465 (Vail), 51528 (Dow City), 51448 (Kiron), 51467 (Westside) and 51441 (Deloit).
Who was Crawford County named after?
William Harris Crawford, a U.S. senator from Georgia and later U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Iowa.