Worth County, Iowa
county in Iowa, United States
Worth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,443. The county seat is Northwood. The county was founded in 1851 and named for Major General William Jenkins Worth (1794–1849), an officer in both the Seminole War and the Mexican–American War.
Worth County is part of the Mason City, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 402 square miles (1,040 km2), of which 400 square miles (1,000 km2) is land and 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2) (0.5%) is water. It is the fourth-smallest county in Iowa by land area and third-smallest by total area.
Major highways
Interstate 35/Iowa Highway 27
U.S. Highway 65
U.S. Highway 69
Iowa Highway 9
Adjacent counties
Freeborn County, Minnesota (north)
Mower County, Minnesota (northeast)
Mitchell County (east)
Cerro Gordo County (south)
Winnebago County (west)
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 7,443 and a population density of 18.5/sq mi (7.2/km2). There were 3,480 housing units, of which 3,127 were occupied.
96.49% of the population reported being of one race.
The public source identifies “Worth County, Iowa” as county in Iowa, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Worth, County and Iowa.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Worth County, Iowa”, the useful work is to connect “county in Iowa, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q485463. VIAF identifies the subject as 154781431. The Library of Congress control number is n81096325. Authority coordinates are 43.379, -93.257. 5 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1851, 1794 and 1849.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Worth County, Iowa”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Worth County, Iowa primary sources, Worth County, Iowa archive and Worth research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Worth County, Iowa”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Worth County, Iowa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.