The Des Moines River flows south-southeasterly through the central part of the county, then into Iowa.

The county terrain is hilly and carved with drainages and gullies.

[6] The terrain generally slopes to the south and east; its highest point is on the lower west border, at 1,545 ft (471 m) ASL.

28.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

From 1932 to 1996, Jackson County favored the Democratic nominee in all but four presidential elections, all of which were Republican landslides.

George W. Bush won the county by somewhat modest margins in both 2000 and 2004, and John McCain defeated Barack Obama by slightly over 4% in 2008.

This was a portent, as in 2016, Donald Trump nearly tripled Romney's margin of victory, defeating Hillary Clinton in the county by over 38%.

Trump was the first Republican to win at least 60% of the county vote since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952.