CITY · 1990 CENSUS

Iowa City

Iowa · 59,738 residents · 25.8 sq mi

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The short version

Iowa City is a city of 59,738 people in Iowa. This is an unusually credentialed place: 54% of adults have a four-year degree. This skews young, with a median age of 24.9. 45% of homes are owner-occupied. The poverty rate is 23.4%, above the 13.2% national rate. Getting to work takes 15 minutes on average.

At a glance

Lower income

below the US median

US median: $30,130

Younger

median age 24.9

US median: 33.0

More educated

54% hold a bachelor's degree

US average: 20%

More affordable

home values down 15%, inflation adjusted

US median home: $93,722

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population

59,738

−4%vs 2000

vs 62,220 in 2000

1990 – 2025

Median age

24.9

−2%vs 2000

vs 25.4 in 2000

US average: 33.0

Land area

25.8 sq mi

Population, 1990 – 2024

202476K

Age distribution, 1990

Under 55.6%(3,359)

US avg: 7.3%

5 to 95.3%(3,145)

US avg: 7.3%

10 to 143.8%(2,261)

US avg: 6.9%

15 to 1911.3%(6,731)

US avg: 7.1%

20 to 2424.6%(14,705)

US avg: 7.5%

25 to 3419.7%(11,777)

US avg: 17.5%

35 to 4413.1%(7,805)

US avg: 15.1%

45 to 545.8%(3,490)

US avg: 10.2%

55 to 644.3%(2,569)

US avg: 8.5%

65 to 743.4%(2,041)

US avg: 7.3%

75 to 842.3%(1,387)

US avg: 4%

85 and over0.8%(468)

US avg: 1.2%

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Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income

$24,565

−7%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $34,977 in 2000

US average: $30,130

1990 – 2024

Per capita income

$13,277

−34%vs 2000

vs $20,269 in 2000

US average: $14,340

Poverty rate

23.4%

+1.6 ptsvs 2000

vs 21.7% in 2000

US average: 13.2%

Section 03

Housing

Median home value

$78,400

−15%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $121,400 in 2000

US average: $93,722

1990 – 2024

Median gross rent

$414

−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000

vs $572 in 2000

US average: $450

Owner-occupied

44.7%

−1.8 ptsvs 2000

vs 46.5% in 2000

55.3% rent

Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000

White, non-Hispanic85.8%(53,405)

Black3.7%(2,272)

Hispanic / Latino2.9%(1,833)

Asian5.6%(3,492)

Other0%

1990

White, non-Hispanic91.4%(54,575)

Black2.5%(1,492)

Hispanic / Latino1.5%(915)

Asian5.5%(3,305)

Other0.6%(366)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

Hispanic origin

Mexican4.7%(3,526)

Central American0.9%(717)

South American0.9%(687)

Puerto Rican0.7%(527)

Colombian0.5%(344)

Salvadoran0.4%(328)

Guatemalan0.3%(262)

Honduran0.1%(96)

Ecuadorian0.1%(90)

Venezuelan0.1%(88)

Chilean0.1%(71)

Dominican0.1%(70)

+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data

Spaniard0.1%(61)

Cuban0.1%(50)

Bolivian0.1%(43)

Argentine0%(34)

Panamanian0%(31)

Peruvian0%(17)

Asian origin

Chinese1.8%(1,393)

Asian Indian1.3%(1,007)

Vietnamese1.2%(904)

Korean0.9%(674)

Filipino0.5%(342)

Taiwanese0.2%(145)

Hmong0.2%(121)

Japanese0.1%(93)

Uzbek0.1%(79)

Singaporean0.1%(60)

Laotian0.1%(59)

Sri Lankan0.1%(47)

+ 6 more asian origin groups with data

Bangladeshi0.1%(38)

Cambodian0%(31)

Pakistani0%(30)

Burmese0%(12)

Thai0%(12)

Nepalese0%(9)

Pacific Islander origin

Tongan0%(11)

Native Hawaiian0%(8)

Chamorro0%(6)

Samoan0%(1)

Ancestry

German25.2%(19,126)

Irish14.4%(10,932)

English11%(8,303)

Subsaharan African4.3%(3,271)

Norwegian3.5%(2,647)

Italian3.5%(2,632)

Polish2.8%(2,157)

American2.7%(2,008)

Swedish2.5%(1,885)

Czech2.1%(1,598)

Scottish1.8%(1,360)

Dutch1.7%(1,259)

+ 44 more ancestry groups with data

Arab1.5%(1,152)

French1.2%(883)

Danish1.1%(838)

Welsh0.7%(514)

Scotch-Irish0.6%(484)

Swiss0.6%(484)

Russian0.5%(407)

French Canadian0.5%(390)

British0.5%(381)

Kenyan0.5%(346)

Greek0.4%(313)

Lebanese0.4%(272)

Palestinian0.4%(271)

Belgian0.3%(222)

West Indian0.3%(221)

Ghanaian0.3%(204)

Iranian0.3%(196)

Ukrainian0.2%(150)

Croatian0.2%(147)

Nigerian0.2%(139)

Brazilian0.2%(133)

Lithuanian0.2%(132)

Hungarian0.2%(122)

Austrian0.2%(118)

Jordanian0.2%(116)

Serbian0.1%(110)

Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(96)

Jamaican0.1%(85)

Finnish0.1%(66)

Slovak0.1%(62)

Egyptian0.1%(58)

Syrian0.1%(57)

Israeli0.1%(56)

Canadian0.1%(48)

Romanian0%(36)

Armenian0%(34)

Portuguese0%(33)

Slovene0%(26)

Turkish0%(25)

Iraqi0%(13)

Haitian0%(13)

Ethiopian0%(11)

Australian0%(9)

Latvian0%(5)

RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest English population · Largest Mexican population · Largest Subsaharan African population

Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

53.7%

−2.2 ptsvs 2000

vs 55.9% in 2000

US average: 20.3%

High school or higher

93.9%

−0.9 ptsvs 2000

vs 94.8% in 2000

US average: 75.2%

Graduate degree

26.1%

−1.7 ptsvs 2000

vs 27.8% in 2000

US average: 7.1%

Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute

14.7 min

+44%vs 2000

vs 10.2 min in 2000

US average: 21.9

Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status (2024)

Men 15+

Never married59.7%(19,372)

Married34.4%(11,148)

Widowed1.8%(595)

Divorced4.1%(1,319)

Women 15+

Never married56.3%(19,335)

Married31.5%(10,823)

Widowed4.6%(1,567)

Divorced7.7%(2,631)

SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024

Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured

4.5%

−3.9 ptssince 2013

from 8.4% in 2013

US average: 8.4%

Employer-based

63.6%

−0.3 ptssince 2020

from 63.9% in 2020

US average: 54.8%

Direct-purchase

22.9%

+1.8 ptssince 2020

from 21.1% in 2020

US average: 13.8%

Medicare

12.6%

+0.6 ptssince 2020

from 12.0% in 2020

US average: 18.4%

Medicaid

14.0%

+0.4 ptssince 2020

from 13.6% in 2020

US average: 20.9%

VA health care

1.4%

−0.1 ptssince 2020

from 1.5% in 2020

US average: 2.2%

Any private

80.2%

−0.5 ptssince 2020

from 80.7% in 2020

US average: 67.1%

Any public

25.7%

+0.8 ptssince 2020

from 24.9% in 2020

US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024

Gulf War (2001 or later)27.5%(606)

US avg: 26.4%

Gulf War (1990s)22.6%(497)

US avg: 24.3%

Vietnam era33.4%(734)

US avg: 33.1%

Korean War4.6%(101)

US avg: 4.5%

World War II4.8%(105)

US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,200 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

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