Webster County is a county in Iowa, United States, in the north-central part of the state, roughly 90 miles northwest of Des Moines. It had a population of 36,999 at the 2020 census and covers 718 square miles (1,860 km2), of which 716 square miles are land and 2.8 square miles are water, centred near 42°25′34″N 94°11′19″W.
Fort Dodge is the county seat, and its postal code is 50501. The county contains 13 incorporated cities and towns, one census-designated place, and more than a dozen unincorporated communities, spread across the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Webster County
Fort Dodge dominates the county both in population and as its commercial center; the remaining incorporated places are small farm towns strung along U.S. Route 20 and the county’s rail lines. Coalville is the county’s only census-designated place. Several more names on the list below are unincorporated crossroads and former rail sidings with no current city government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Dodge | City · seat | — | 24,871 | 50501 |
| Gowrie | City | Colfax | — | — |
| Dayton | City | Dayton | — | — |
| Badger | City | Badger | — | — |
| Stratford | City | — | — | — |
| Lehigh | City | — | — | — |
| Callender | City | — | — | — |
| Harcourt | City | — | — | — |
| Otho | City | — | — | — |
| Duncombe | City | — | — | — |
| Moorland | City | — | — | — |
| Barnum | City | — | — | — |
| Clare | City | — | — | — |
| Vincent | City | — | — | — |
| Coalville | CDP | — | — | 50501 |
| Border Plains | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Brushy | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Burnside | Unincorp. | Burnside | — | — |
| Evanston | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Judd | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kalo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lanyon | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lena | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Lundgren | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Palm Grove | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roberts | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roelyn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Shady Oak | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Slifer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Tara | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wadleigh | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
ZIP Codes
- 50501 — Fort Dodge (also serves Coalville)
Every other incorporated town in the county keeps its own dedicated ZIP code, but this listing gives only figures that can be independently confirmed; unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their own and use the code of the nearest post office town.
Geography
Webster County sits in the Des Moines Lobe, a landscape of gently rolling glacial till plains and former prairie now given over to row-crop farming. The Des Moines River cuts through the county from northwest to southeast, passing directly through Fort Dodge, and gypsum beds along its banks once made the county a major center of the U.S. plaster and wallboard industry. The county borders Humboldt County to the north, Wright County to the northeast, Hamilton County to the east, Boone County to the southeast, Greene County to the southwest, Calhoun County to the west, and Pocahontas County to the northwest.
Demographics
Webster County had a population of 36,999 at the 2020 census. Fort Dodge, with 24,871 residents, is by far the largest community, followed at a distance by Gowrie and Dayton. Median household income in the county runs below the Iowa median of $71,433, reflecting the area’s reliance on manufacturing and agriculture rather than higher-wage metro employment. Population density is roughly 52 people per square mile, concentrated heavily around Fort Dodge, with the surrounding townships thinly settled farm country.
Economy & Local Life
Fort Dodge anchors the county’s economy as a regional hub for health care, retail, and manufacturing, serving a trade area that extends well beyond the county line. CJ Bio America (formerly Cargill) operates a major fermentation plant in Fort Dodge, and the city is also home to Iowa Central Community College. Gypsum mining and processing, once the county’s signature industry, has declined from its early-20th-century peak but left a lasting mark on Fort Dodge’s built environment, including former plaster-company housing tracts. Row-crop agriculture — corn and soybeans — dominates outside the Fort Dodge urban area.
History
Webster County was organized on January 15, 1851, one of a batch of counties created by the Iowa legislature that year, and takes its name from Daniel Webster, the Massachusetts senator and orator. Fort Dodge began as a U.S. Army post established in 1850 to keep peace between settlers and the Sioux and Meskwaki; the fort was decommissioned in 1853 and the townsite platted soon after. The discovery of extensive gypsum deposits along the Des Moines River in the late 19th century turned Fort Dodge into “the Gypsum City,” drawing rail lines and processing plants that shaped the county’s small-town settlement pattern into the 20th century.
Getting There
U.S. Route 20 crosses the county east-west through Fort Dodge, and U.S. Route 169 runs north-south through the city; Iowa Highway 7 and Highway 175 serve the county’s smaller towns.
- Des Moines — 90 miles southeast
- Ames — 45 miles southeast
- Storm Lake — 55 miles west
- Mason City — 60 miles northeast
Fort Dodge Regional Airport offers general aviation service; the nearest commercial airline service is at Des Moines International Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Webster County, Iowa?
It is in north-central Iowa, about 90 miles northwest of Des Moines, centered on the city of Fort Dodge.
What is the population of Webster County?
36,999 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Webster County?
718 square miles (1,860 km2), of which 716 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Webster County?
Fort Dodge is the county seat.
How many towns are in Webster County?
13 incorporated cities and towns, plus the census-designated place of Coalville and more than a dozen smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Webster County?
Fort Dodge and Coalville use 50501; the county’s smaller incorporated towns each carry their own dedicated ZIP code.
Why is Fort Dodge called the Gypsum City?
Because of the large gypsum deposits mined along the Des Moines River there since the late 1800s, which once made it a national center of plaster and wallboard production.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Iowa.