We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Iowa.
The city in Iowa with the most number of Klaverns was Emerson with 1 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Emerson with 0.0021 Klaverns. There were historically 21 Klaverns in Iowa, across 21 places in Iowa with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Iowa based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Iowa
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Iowa
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Iowa
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Iowa
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Iowa
Manchester is a city in Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,179 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Delaware County. Manchester is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and State Highway 13, and is the largest community in Delaware County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Iowa
Located in
Montgomery County, Iowa
Red Oak is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 5,742 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 6,197 population in the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Iowa
Located in
Marion County, Iowa
Knoxville is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,313 at the 2010 census, a decrease from 7,731 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County. Knoxville is home of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, located next to the famous Knoxville Raceway dirt track.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Iowa
Located in
Union County, Iowa
Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,834 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Iowa
Located in
Dallas County, Iowa
Perry is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, along the North Raccoon River. The population was 7,702 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Iowa
Located in
Lee County, Iowa
Keokuk is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is also the most southerly city in Iowa. The population was 10,780 at the 2010 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park. It is located in the extreme southeast corner of Iowa where the Des Moines River meets with the Mississippi. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 61, 136 and 218. Just across the rivers are the towns of Hamilton and Warsaw, Illinois, and Alexandria, Missouri.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Iowa’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Iowa’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Hawkeye State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Iowa
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emerson | 471 | 1 | 212 |
| 2 | Mechanicsville | 1,063 | 1 | 94 |
| 3 | Sanborn | 1,216 | 1 | 82 |
| 4 | Tipton | 3,207 | 1 | 31 |
| 5 | Manchester | 5,126 | 1 | 20 |
| 6 | Red Oak | 5,644 | 1 | 18 |
| 7 | Knoxville | 7,257 | 1 | 14 |
| 8 | Creston | 7,846 | 1 | 13 |
| 9 | Perry | 7,986 | 1 | 13 |
| 10 | Keokuk | 10,742 | 1 | 9 |
| 11 | Boone | 12,619 | 1 | 8 |
| 12 | Newton | 15,139 | 1 | 7 |
| 13 | Ottumwa | 24,847 | 1 | 4 |
| 14 | Marshalltown | 27,749 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Mason City | 27,775 | 1 | 4 |
| 16 | Council Bluffs | 62,261 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Waterloo | 68,392 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Sioux City | 82,719 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Davenport | 101,316 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Cedar Rapids | 128,009 | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Des Moines | 206,702 | 1 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 21 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Iowa
When you’re looking at the places in Iowa with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Iowa with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Emerson, Mechanicsville, Sanborn, Tipton, Manchester, Red Oak, Knoxville, Creston, Perry, and Keokuk.
