[4] Its southern border with Missouri was uncertain until the states got a decision from the US Supreme Court in 1848 which held the 1816 Sullivan line (re-marked in 1850), originally run as the northern boundary of an Osage Indian cession.

There had been settlement in this county as early as 1841 by persons thinking they were in Missouri,[5] but the first settlers intending to be in Iowa came about 1848.

[13] As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 6,730 people, 2,821 households, and 1,918 families residing in the county.

29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Religion in Wayne County,according to ARDA (2020) [15] *"Nones" is an unclear category.

[18] Researchers argue that most of the "Nones" should be considered "unchurched", rather than objectively nonreligious;[17][19][20][21][22] especially since most "Nones" do hold some religious-spiritual beliefs and a notable amount participate in behaviors.

[25] The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Wayne County.