CensusEasy
CITY

Johnston

Iowa · 25,065 residents (2025 est.) · 19.49 sq mi
Time machine
COMPARE TO
Part of the Des Moines metro area
Compare
The short version

Johnston is wealthier than most US places, with a median household income of $106,551. The city has more than doubled in size since 2000, adding 15,735 residents. 58% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national rate of 36%. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $369,100. It sits in the top 10% of US cities for household income. Households here earn about 42% more than the Iowa median.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
58% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
24,384
+182%since 2000
from 8,649 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,251 / sq mi
+63%since 2009
from 768 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.4
+3%since 2000
from 36.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:25,065 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
3K9K15K20K26K1990201020202024Johnston
202424K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.7%(1,392)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 98.5%(2,079)
US avg: 6%
10 to 1411.2%(2,728)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.7%(1,644)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.6%(1,110)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 349.9%(2,413)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.9%(3,389)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.9%(3,635)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 649.2%(2,253)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.8%(2,385)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.6%(881)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(475)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$106,551
−23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $76,094 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$57,529
+58%since 2000
from $36,407 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
65.3%
+6.9 ptssince 2009
from 58.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.2%
+6.0 ptssince 2000
from 4.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.446
+11%since 2010
from 0.401 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services17.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration15.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Retail trade10.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Information7.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade4.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.9%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$369,100
+8%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $187,400 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,338
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $727 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
70.8%
−3.3 ptssince 2000
from 74.0% in 2000
29.2% rent
Vacancy rate
4.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
13.0%
−8.3 ptssince 2009
from 21.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
45.3%
+14.1 ptssince 2009
from 31.2% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.5
+30%since 2009
from 2.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
45
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Johnston on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic95.3%(8,246)
Black0.6%(50)
Hispanic / Latino1.5%(132)
Asian2%(171)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic75.9%(18,505)
Black10.6%(2,590)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(648)
Asian7.3%(1,772)
Other3.6%(869)
Diversity Score
51
+183%since 2009
from 18 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican1.9%(461)
Argentine0.4%(90)
Spaniard0.1%(29)
Puerto Rican0.1%(25)
Asian origin
Chinese2.5%(621)
Filipino0.8%(192)
Korean0.1%(30)
Pakistani0.1%(28)
Laotian0.1%(27)
Pacific Islander origin
Marshallese0.1%(34)
Ancestry
German26.7%(6,516)
Irish17.1%(4,164)
English11.1%(2,718)
Norwegian4.2%(1,021)
American3.5%(844)
Italian3.1%(758)
Swedish2.5%(602)
Polish2%(496)
Scottish1.8%(431)
Dutch1.8%(429)
French1.6%(397)
+ 23 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.9%(230)
Russian0.9%(225)
Czech0.8%(194)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(155)
Welsh0.6%(151)
Ghanaian0.5%(113)
Austrian0.3%(84)
British0.3%(80)
Croatian0.3%(69)
Belgian0.2%(56)
Slovene0.2%(52)
Greek0.2%(50)
Hungarian0.2%(40)
Swiss0.2%(39)
Arab0.1%(31)
Finnish0.1%(22)
Latvian0.1%(19)
Slovak0%(3)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest English population · Largest Subsaharan African population · Largest Norwegian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
57.8%
+7.9 ptssince 2000
from 49.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.9%
+2.2 ptssince 2000
from 94.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
22.0%
+6.8 ptssince 2000
from 15.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.7 min
+88%since 2000
from 10.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.9%
−7.2 ptssince 2009
from 86.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.4%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
14.0%
+9.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.9%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.6% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
2.5%
−1.3 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.1%
−2.1 ptssince 2011
from 4.3% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
71.2%
−4.7 ptssince 2011
from 75.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
13.9%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
58.2%
−13.9 ptssince 2009
from 72.1% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
Female
51.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 52.3% in 2009
Foreign born
9.5%
+2.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.3% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.0%
−41.9 ptssince 2009
from 46.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
7.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2012
from 6.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.7%
−92.9 ptssince 2013
from 94.6% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.2%
+5.8 ptssince 2017
from 87.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
87.6%
−1.6 ptssince 2016
from 89.2% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 1.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married24.6%(2,064)
Married68.4%(5,741)
Widowed1.6%(131)
Divorced5.5%(462)
Women 15+
Never married26.6%(2,602)
Married55.3%(5,416)
Widowed8.4%(825)
Divorced9.6%(944)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Drill deeper

Places similar to Johnston

Bloomingdale
Pop 23,827
Groveland
Pop 25,526
Middletown
Pop 25,798
Hunters Creek
Pop 22,819
Places similar to Johnston
Head to head

Compare Johnston to nearby cities

JOHNSTON VS
Grimes
Income$120,037+13%
Home value$304,700−17%
Population17,405−31%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JOHNSTON VS
Urbandale
Income$112,795+6%
Home value$335,500−9%
Population48,570+94%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JOHNSTON VS
Clive
Income$132,121+24%
Home value$401,100+9%
Population19,861−21%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
JOHNSTON VS
Ankeny
Income$108,198+2%
Home value$331,000−10%
Population77,833+211%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Johnston, Iowa?

Johnston, Iowa has about 24,384 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Johnston, Iowa?

The typical household in Johnston, Iowa earns about $106,551 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Johnston, Iowa expensive?

In Johnston, Iowa, the median home is worth about $369,100, and the typical rent is about $1,338 a month.

How educated are people in Johnston, Iowa?

About 57.8% of adults age 25 and over in Johnston, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Johnston, Iowa?

About 10.2% of people in Johnston, Iowa live below the federal poverty line.

Has Johnston, Iowa grown since 1990?

Yes, Johnston, Iowa has grown since 1990. The population has added about 19,682 residents, a change of about 419 percent over that period.

Keep going

Explore from here

Up the hierarchy
Iowa
Rankings
Highest income citiesFastest growing citiesMost educated cities
Compare
Compare Johnston with another place

DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →