Spencer is a city of 11,400 people in Iowa. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $184,800. The foreign-born share is 3%. The average commute runs 16 minutes. Median rent is $805 a month. Households here earn about 21% less than in Iowa as a whole.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $59,667, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.4
US median: 38.9
Less educated
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 26%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Spencer
What changed most since 1990
White share99.1% → 90.4%(−8.7 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Homes owned by their occupants61.6% → 68.1%(+6.4 pts)US over the same years: +0.9 pts
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)18.7%(114)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)5.6%(34)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.9%(225)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War10.8%(66)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II5.2%(32)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 610 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
Spencer, decade by decade
Spencer 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
11,066
$58,977
$108,483
16.1%
2.2
2000
11,317
$60,060
$147,008
17.1%
8.3
2010
11,233
$59,908
$149,468
18.9%
14.1
2020
11,325
$54,813
$165,322
24.1%
22.7
2024
11,400
$59,667
$184,800
29.8%
22.4
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.
