Delaware County, Iowa

Delaware County is a county in Iowa, United States, about 37 miles southwest of Dubuque and 37
miles northeast of Cedar Rapids. It had a population of 17,488 at the 2020 census, an estimated
17,674 by 2025, and covers 579 square miles (1,500 km2) centred near 42°28′N 91°22′W.

Manchester is the county seat; its postal code is 52057. The county holds 12 cities and 14
unincorporated communities across 16 townships, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is
19055.

Towns & Villages in Delaware County

Delaware County has 26 named places on record: 12 incorporated cities, all legally chartered as
cities under Iowa law regardless of size, and 14 unincorporated communities with no local
government of their own. Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural settlements with no formal
boundary.

Four names on the site’s earlier list — Buck Creek, Dutchtown, Gilt Edge and Orchard
Lane MH Court — could not be confirmed against Census, Wikipedia or gazetteer sources for
Delaware County and are dropped rather than repeated unverified. Holy Cross, also on the earlier
list, is a real Iowa community, but it sits in Dubuque County, not Delaware, and belongs on that
county’s page instead. Edgewood straddles the Delaware–Clayton county line: Iowa
Highway 3 through downtown roughly marks the boundary, with the city’s southern half, and
most of its population, in Delaware County’s Honey Creek Township. Dyersville similarly
spans two counties — most of its population and downtown sit in Dubuque County, with only
its western edge reaching into Delaware County.

Townships

Delaware County is divided into 16 civil townships. Current township-level population figures
were not available from a verifiable source at the time of writing, so the column is left blank
rather than estimated.

ZIP Codes

• 52057 — Manchester (the county’s most populous ZIP)
• 52040 — Dyersville (shared with Dubuque County)
• 52042 — Edgewood (also serves 52044, a second Edgewood ZIP)
• 52041 — Earlville
• 52237 — Hopkinton
• 52223 — Delhi
• 52035 — Colesburg
• 52330 — Ryan
• 52050 — Greeley
• 52038 — Dundee
• 52036 — Delaware
• 50654 — Masonville

Almoral, Ehler, Forestville, Golden, Hartwick, Hazel Green, Oneida, Petersburg, Robinson,
Rockville, Sand Springs, Silver Creek, Thorpe and York have no ZIP code of their own; mail there
is delivered under the nearest incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Delaware County sits in northeast Iowa on rough, hilly ground carved by the Maquoketa River,
which crosses the county roughly north to south. Of the county’s 579 square miles, 578 are
land and 1.2 are water, about 0.2 percent — most of that surface water is Hartwick Lake, a
reservoir on the Maquoketa held back by the Delhi Dam. The dam partially failed on 24 July 2010
after heavy rain, flooding areas downstream before the lake was refilled and the dam rebuilt.

Fayette County lies to the northwest, Clayton County to the north, Dubuque County to the east,
Jones County to the southeast, Linn County to the south, and Buchanan County to the west. Fayette County, Dubuque County, Jones County and Buchanan County all border Delaware directly; Clayton and Linn counties do not currently have a live county page on this site.

Demographics

Delaware County had a population of 17,488 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 17,674 residents. Manchester and Dyersville are the two largest communities, though
Dyersville’s total includes residents on the Dubuque County side of the city line. Median
household income runs $74,989 (Data USA, 2024 estimate), above Iowa’s statewide figure of
$71,433 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to about 30.3 people per square mile of land,
low even by rural Iowa standards, reflecting the county’s agricultural land use.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 1,832 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 1,436 and retail trade at 997. Manchester’s largest employers
include XL Specialized Trailers, Henderson Products, Regional Medical Center and the West
Delaware Community School District. Dyersville’s manufacturing base centers on FarmTek,
Modernfold and Dyersville Die-Cast, work that underpins the city’s self-styled title as the
Farm Toy Capital of the World. The National Farm Toy Museum and the annual National Farm Toy
Show, held each November since 1978, draw collectors and vendors from across the country.
Dyersville is also home to the Field of Dreams movie site, built for the 1989 film and used to
host two Major League Baseball games, in August 2021 and August 2022, drawing crowds well beyond
the county’s own population.

History

Iowa’s territorial legislature created Delaware County on 21 December 1837 and organized
it on 8 February 1844. Legislators named the new county for Delaware, the first of the original
thirteen colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Delhi, not Manchester, was the county’s
first seat of government; the seat moved to Manchester as the county’s population and
commerce shifted west along the Maquoketa River.

The county’s best-known modern landmark sits in Dyersville: the Field of Dreams farm,
built as a movie set in 1988 and left standing after the film’s 1989 release. It drew
tourists for three decades before Major League Baseball built a temporary stadium beside it and
staged regular-season games there in 2021 and 2022, broadcast nationally from a cornfield in
Delaware County.

Getting There

No interstate highway crosses Delaware County. U.S. Route 20 runs east–west through
Manchester, and Iowa Highways 3, 13 and 38 cross the county north–south and diagonally.

• Dubuque — about 40 miles east
• Cedar Rapids — about 37 miles southwest
• Waterloo — about 45 miles west

Dubuque Regional Airport, about 40 miles east, is the nearest commercial airport, with limited
service to Chicago. The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, roughly 55 miles by road, is the
region’s larger hub with more frequent flights. No Amtrak station serves Delaware County;
the nearest stop on the California Zephyr line is Ottumwa, well south of the county.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Delaware County located?
It sits in northeast Iowa, roughly 37 miles southwest of Dubuque and 37 miles northeast of Cedar
Rapids, bordered by Fayette, Clayton, Dubuque, Jones, Linn and Buchanan counties.

What is the population of Delaware County?
17,488 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 17,674.

How big is Delaware County?
579 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 578 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Delaware County?
Manchester is the county seat. Delhi held that role first, before the seat moved to Manchester.

How many towns and villages are in Delaware County?
12 incorporated cities — Manchester, Dyersville, Edgewood, Earlville, Hopkinton, Delhi,
Colesburg, Ryan, Greeley, Dundee, Delaware and Masonville — plus 14 unincorporated
communities: Almoral, Ehler, Forestville, Golden, Hartwick, Hazel Green, Oneida, Petersburg,
Robinson, Rockville, Sand Springs, Silver Creek, Thorpe and York.

What ZIP codes does Delaware County use?
52057 for Manchester, 52040 for Dyersville, 52042 and 52044 for Edgewood, 52041 for Earlville,
52237 for Hopkinton, 52223 for Delhi, 52035 for Colesburg, 52330 for Ryan, 52050 for Greeley,
52038 for Dundee, 52036 for Delaware and 50654 for Masonville.

What is Delaware County known for?
The Field of Dreams movie site and its 2021–2022 Major League Baseball games in Dyersville,
and the city’s National Farm Toy Show, held every November since 1978.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Iowa.