Lawton was platted in 1901. It was named for J. C. Law, an early settler and native of Lawton, Michigan. A post office has been in operation in Lawton since 1902.
Geography
Lawton is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land. It is located seven miles east of Sioux City on U.S. Route 20, in a region of rolling fertile farmland. Lawton is considered a bedroom community for Sioux City.
As of the census of 2010, there were 908 people, 342 households, and 238 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 352 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 342 households of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couplesliving together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.4% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.27. The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 30.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 697 people, 255 households, and 205 families living in the city. The population density was 1,372.3 people per square mile. There were 269 housing units at an average density of 529.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 99.57% White, 0.14% Asian, and 0.29% from two or more races. There were 255 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.2% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.06. 29.8% are under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $52,917, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $37,011 versus $21,023 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,432. About 4.3% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
operates public schools. The district was established on July 1, 1966 by the merger of the Lawton and Bronson school districts.
