Ringgold County, Iowa

Ringgold County is a county in Iowa, United States, along the Missouri border, in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 4,663 at the 2020 census and covers 539 square miles (1,400 km2) centred near 40°44′N 94°15′W.

Mount Ayr is the county seat; its postal code is 50854. The county holds 11 incorporated cities and towns, 2 unincorporated census-designated places, and 17 civil townships, all in the Central time zone. Its FIPS code is 19159.

Towns & Villages in Ringgold County

Ringgold County has 11 incorporated cities and towns plus 2 unincorporated census-designated places. Two of the incorporated cities, Clearfield and Shannon City, sit mostly across the county line — Clearfield mostly in neighboring Taylor County and Shannon City mostly in Union County — with only a handful of residents on the Ringgold side. CDP means an unincorporated census-designated place; Unincorp. means an unincorporated community with no separate census count.

Clearfield’s and Shannon City’s town centers lie just over the county line, so their populations are counted almost entirely toward Taylor County and Union County respectively; only a few outlying residents fall inside Ringgold.

ZIP Codes

• 50854 — Mount Ayr (also serves Sun Valley Lake)
• 50845 — Diagonal
• 50133 — Kellerton
• 50863 — Tingley
• 50860 — Redding
• 50835 — Benton
• 50074 — Ellston

Beaconsfield, Delphos and Maloy have no post office of their own and are served by ZIP codes assigned to a neighboring town.

Geography

Ringgold County sits on the rolling farmland of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain, drained by the East and Middle Fork branches of the Grand River. Almost all of the county’s 539 square miles is land, with a small share of water in farm ponds and small reservoirs.

It borders Union County to the north, Decatur County to the east, Taylor County to the west, and, across the state line, Harrison County, Missouri and Worth County, Missouri to the south.

Demographics

The 2020 census counted 4,663 residents, giving the county a density of about 8.7 people per square mile. Mount Ayr and Diagonal are the two largest communities, together holding more than two in five county residents. Ringgold County’s median household income runs below the Iowa median of $71,433, typical for the state’s most sparsely populated counties.

Economy & Local Life

Row-crop and livestock farming anchor the county’s economy, with corn, soybeans and cattle the dominant enterprises on the surrounding drift-plain farmland. Mount Ayr serves as the county’s retail, school and government hub, home to the Ringgold County Courthouse and the Mount Ayr Community School District. Small-town grain elevators, farm-supply dealers and implement shops in Mount Ayr, Diagonal and Kellerton support the surrounding farms, and county fair week draws much of the county into Mount Ayr each summer.

History

Ringgold County was organized on February 24, 1847, and named for Maj. Samuel Ringgold, who died of wounds suffered at the Battle of Palo Alto in May 1846 during the Mexican–American War. It is one of 26 Iowa counties with a name unique among all U.S. counties. Like most of southern Iowa, the county grew around its farmland rather than any single industry, and Mount Ayr’s courthouse square has anchored the county seat since its founding.

Getting There

U.S. Highway 169 runs north–south through Mount Ayr, with Iowa Highway 2 crossing east–west and Iowa Highway 25 serving the county’s southeast corner.

• Bedford — 19 miles west
• Leon — 24 miles east
• Creston — 25 miles north
• Des Moines — 75 miles north

The nearest commercial airport is Des Moines International Airport.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Ringgold County, Iowa?
It is in south-central Iowa on the Missouri border, about 75 miles south of Des Moines.

What is the population of Ringgold County?
4,663 people at the 2020 census, making it Iowa’s second-least-populous county.

How big is Ringgold County?
539 square miles (1,400 km2), of which 535 square miles is land.

What is the county seat of Ringgold County?
Mount Ayr is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns are in Ringgold County?
11 incorporated cities and towns, plus the unincorporated communities of Delphos and Sun Valley Lake.

What ZIP codes are in Ringgold County?
50854 (Mount Ayr), 50845 (Diagonal), 50133 (Kellerton), 50863 (Tingley), 50860 (Redding), 50835 (Benton) and 50074 (Ellston).

Why is it called Ringgold County?
It is named for Maj. Samuel Ringgold, a U.S. Army officer killed at the Battle of Palo Alto in 1846.

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