| County: | Wayne County |
| State: | Utah |
| Ex Image: | Loa Tithing Office Loa Utah.jpeg |
| Ex Image Size: | 220px |
| Ex Image Cap: | Tithing Office in Loa, Utah. |
| Founded Year: | 1892 |
| Founded Date: | March 10 |
| Seat Wl: | Loa |
| Largest City Wl: | Loa |
| City Type: | town |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2466 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2461 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 5.8 |
| Area Percentage: | 0.2 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 2486 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Time Zone: | Mountain |
| Web: | www.waynecountyutah.org |
| District: | 2nd |
Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,486,[1] making it the fourth-least populous county in Utah. Its county seat is Loa.[2]
Due to its remoteness and harsh terrain, settlements did not appear in the future Wayne County until the 1880s. By 1892, there was enough settlement and enough interest in a separate county (due mainly to the difficulty of accessing the Piute County seat), that Utah Territory passed an act (effective date March 10, 1892)[3] to separate the east portion of Piute into a separate county.[4] The county was named for Wayne County, Tennessee, itself named for Anthony Wayne.[5] The county boundaries have remained unchanged since its creation.
The eastern border of Wayne County is delineated by the meanders of the Green River, which flows southward to discharge into the Colorado River. After the two rivers join, the combined southwestern flow forms the remaining portion of the county's eastern border. The central part of the county is drained by the Fremont River and Muddy Creek. The Fremont begins at Fish Lake in Sevier County and flows into Wayne County near its northwestern corner. It joins the Muddy near Hanksville to form the Dirty Devil River, which flows southeastward out of the county's southern border to discharge into Colorado. Wayne County terrain varies from rough forestland on the west to arid poor soil carved by drainages and rocky outcrops.[6] The terrain slopes to the east and south; its highest area is near its NW corner, at 9888feet ASL.[7] The county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.2%) is water.[8]
The Green River, passing through the canyons of Canyonlands National Park, forms the eastern boundary. The San Rafael Desert occupies the center of the county. Thousand Lake Mountain and Boulder Mountain flank Rabbit Valley on the western end of the county, where forests contrast with the deserts to the east. The small population of the county is centered in Rabbit Valley, with one town of 200, Hanksville, located in Graves Valley north of the Henry Mountains. Wayne County is also home to Capitol Reef National Park.
According to the 2020 United States census[9] and 2020 American Community Survey,[10] there were 2,486 people in Wayne County with a population density of 1.0 people per square mile (0.4/km2). Among non-Hispanic or Latino people, the racial makeup was 2,267 (91.2%) White, 1 (0.0%) African American, 19 (0.8%) Native American, 16 (0.6%) Asian, 3 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 5 (0.2%) from other races, and 79 (3.2%) from two or more races. 96 (3.9%) people were Hispanic or Latino.
There were 1,239 (49.84%) males and 1,247 (50.16%) females, and the population distribution by age was 536 (21.6%) under the age of 18, 1,334 (53.7%) from 18 to 64, and 616 (24.8%) who were at least 65 years old. The median age was 47.3 years.
There were 1,064 households in Wayne County with an average size of 2.34 of which 711 (66.8%) were families and 353 (33.2%) were non-families. Among all families, 601 (56.5%) were married couples, 49 (4.6%) were male householders with no spouse, and 61 (5.7%) were female householders with no spouse. Among all non-families, 307 (28.9%) were a single person living alone and 46 (4.3%) were two or more people living together. 290 (27.3%) of all households had children under the age of 18. 814 (76.5%) of households were owner-occupied while 250 (23.5%) were renter-occupied.
The median income for a Wayne County household was $49,299 and the median family income was $62,069, with a per-capita income of $23,184. The median income for males that were full-time employees was $50,625 and for females $34,653. 10.1% of the population and 6.8% of families were below the poverty line.
In terms of education attainment, out of the 1,822 people in Wayne County 25 years or older, 190 (10.4%) had not completed high school, 346 (19.0%) had a high school diploma or equivalency, 848 (46.5%) had some college or associate degree, 374 (20.5%) had a bachelor's degree, and 64 (3.5%) had a graduate or professional degree.
As of 2017 the largest self-identified ancestry groups/ethnic groups in Wayne County, Utah were:[11]
| Largest ancestries (2017) | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| 45.5% | ||
| 16.3% | ||
| 8.4% | ||
| 7.6% | ||
| 5.8% | ||
| 5.4% | ||
| 3.9% | ||
| 2.3% | ||
| 1.7% | ||
| 1.2% |
Wayne County voters are traditionally Republican. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).
| Name | Affiliation | First elected | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | 24 | Derrin Owens | Republican | 2020[12] | |
| House of Representatives | 73 | Phil Lyman | Republican | 2018[13] | |
| Board of Education | 14 | Mark Huntsman | Nonpartisan | 2014[14] | |
There is one school district, Wayne School District.[15]