Red Oak is home to 5,510 people in Iowa. 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. Home values have risen by half since 2000, reaching $99,700. Households here earn about 33% less than in Iowa as a whole. The foreign-born share is 3%. The poverty rate is 21.9%, above the 12.5% national rate.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $50,109, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 40.2
US median: 38.9
Less educated
18% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Red Oak
What changed most since 1990
Poverty rate8.9% → 21.9%(+13.0 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree13.8% → 17.7%(+4.0 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Homes owned by their occupants69.3% → 59.9%(−9.4 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
Its weight in Montgomery County
Red Oak's population equals 54% of Montgomery County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 86% of the county's. Its number of households without a car equals 80% of the county's.
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)15.2%(46)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)8.9%(27)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era26.2%(79)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War12.9%(39)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2%(6)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 302 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.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Red Oak, decade by decade
Red Oak population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
6,264
$56,896
$95,043
13.8%
0.8
2000
6,197
$54,828
$103,106
13.3%
8.8
2010
5,742
$47,375
$111,489
16.2%
14.8
2020
5,596
$61,237
$93,812
18.2%
22.6
2024
5,510
$50,109
$99,700
17.7%
26.1
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
