Swea City was platted in 1892; it was then called Reynolds. In February 1893, the name was officially changed to Swea City. Swea City was petitioned for incorporation on December 11, 1894 with a population of 161. Several objections were filed with the reasons for objection listed as, "One, the judges of the election administered the oath to themselves swearing in each other; and Two, the words 'for incorporation' were written on one ballot while 'against corporation' was written on another ballot." It was implied that the choice needed to be available on a single ballot in order to be valid. Later a second petition was filed this time on April 19, 1895 and the election was held at a schoolhouse. Each ballot had "For incorporation" and "Against incorporation" printed on them. The vote was 34 in favor of incorporation and 1 against, and the city was incorporated.
Geography
Swea City is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
As of the census of 2010, there were 536 people, 258 households, and 147 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 314 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.5% White, 0.9% African American, 0.4% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 258 households of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couplesliving together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the city was 48.4 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.4% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 24.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 642 people, 292 households, and 176 families living in the city. The population density was 871.5 people per square mile. There were 330 housing units at an average density of 448.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 97.35% White, 0.16% Asian, 1.71% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.65% of the population. There were 292 households out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,250, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $29,444 versus $21,765 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,937. About 5.3% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
