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COUNTY

Black Hawk County

Iowa · 131,532 residents (2025 est.) · 565.757 sq mi
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The short version

Black Hawk County has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $66,417. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $188,900.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 35.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
131,049
+2%since 2000
from 128,012 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
232 / sq mi
+3%since 2009
from 225 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
35.7
+4%since 2000
from 34.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:131,532 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
123K126K128K131K134K1990201020202024Black Hawk County
2024131K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.1%(8,000)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.1%(8,013)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146%(7,918)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.2%(9,481)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2410.9%(14,349)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3412.6%(16,536)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.1%(15,825)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.1%(13,173)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.2%(14,616)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.5%(13,719)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.2%(6,812)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(2,607)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$66,417
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,266 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$37,541
+99%since 2000
from $18,885 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.9%
+21.1 ptssince 2009
from 22.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
14.9%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 13.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.449
+3%since 2010
from 0.438 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade16.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Information13.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Other services5.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Wholesale trade5.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration4.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.2%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$188,900
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $76,200 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$989
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $472 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
66.2%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 68.9% in 2000
33.8% rent
Vacancy rate
7.5%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
17.0%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 20.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.5%
−6.3 ptssince 2009
from 52.8% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.8
+7%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
42
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Black Hawk County on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic87.7%(112,223)
Black7.9%(10,108)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(2,359)
Asian1%(1,246)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic78.1%(102,297)
Black9.1%(11,985)
Hispanic / Latino5.2%(6,861)
Asian2.7%(3,516)
Other4.9%(6,390)
Diversity Score
47
+51%since 2009
from 31 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
42
−4%since 2020
from 44 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.1%(4,015)
Central American1.2%(1,522)
Guatemalan0.8%(1,068)
Puerto Rican0.4%(478)
Cuban0.2%(218)
Costa Rican0.1%(154)
Salvadoran0.1%(151)
Dominican0.1%(111)
Honduran0.1%(98)
Peruvian0.1%(75)
Venezuelan0.1%(74)
+ 6 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Burmese0.9%(1,195)
Asian Indian0.4%(571)
Vietnamese0.3%(404)
Korean0.3%(398)
Filipino0.2%(266)
Chinese0.2%(248)
Pakistani0.1%(119)
Laotian0.1%(110)
Taiwanese0.1%(96)
Japanese0%(54)
Thai0%(14)
Mongolian0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Marshallese0.4%(499)
Samoan0%(18)
Ancestry
German30.2%(39,603)
Irish11.3%(14,868)
English8.5%(11,188)
American4.7%(6,219)
Norwegian4.2%(5,454)
Dutch2%(2,561)
Italian1.6%(2,135)
French1.6%(2,076)
Danish1.4%(1,824)
Czech1.4%(1,821)
Swedish1.3%(1,662)
Scottish1.2%(1,591)
+ 40 more ancestry groups with data
Polish0.8%(1,081)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(706)
Welsh0.5%(629)
Swiss0.4%(540)
West Indian0.4%(513)
Haitian0.3%(359)
British0.2%(267)
Arab0.2%(258)
Greek0.2%(245)
Belgian0.2%(232)
Russian0.1%(179)
Lebanese0.1%(178)
Croatian0.1%(153)
Slovak0.1%(151)
Austrian0.1%(137)
Iranian0.1%(97)
Hungarian0.1%(91)
Jamaican0.1%(90)
Ghanaian0.1%(66)
Serbian0%(64)
Brazilian0%(59)
Bulgarian0%(51)
Canadian0%(49)
Ukrainian0%(45)
Finnish0%(44)
Latvian0%(28)
Slovene0%(28)
Moroccan0%(24)
Somali0%(24)
Nigerian0%(21)
Romanian0%(20)
Turkish0%(20)
Ethiopian0%(18)
Syrian0%(14)
Guyanese0%(12)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest English population · Largest American population · Largest Norwegian population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.3%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 23.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
92.9%
+6.5 ptssince 2000
from 86.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.0%
+2.4 ptssince 2000
from 8.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
15.9 min
+54%since 2000
from 10.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
78.4%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 82.6% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.4% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.5% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
8.9%
+6.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.0%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.5%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.3%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 7.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.6%
−2.5 ptssince 2011
from 7.1% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
66.7%
Unchangedsince 2011
from 66.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
12.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 13.5% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
36.8%
−26.1 ptssince 2009
from 62.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.2%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
Female
50.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 51.8% in 2009
Foreign born
6.5%
+2.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.7%
−41.7 ptssince 2009
from 47.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
13.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
5.1%
−86.7 ptssince 2013
from 91.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.4%
+11.8 ptssince 2017
from 77.6% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
91.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2016
from 91.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 3.0% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40.8%(21,350)
Married47.9%(25,050)
Widowed2.4%(1,264)
Divorced8.9%(4,633)
Women 15+
Never married35.7%(19,577)
Married45.6%(24,977)
Widowed8.2%(4,491)
Divorced10.5%(5,776)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
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Head to head

Compare Black Hawk County to nearby counties

BLACK HAWK COUNTY VS
Bremer County
Income$86,784+31%
Home value$219,600+16%
Population25,296−81%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BLACK HAWK COUNTY VS
Buchanan County
Income$78,236+18%
Home value$176,000−7%
Population20,883−84%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BLACK HAWK COUNTY VS
Grundy County
Income$87,205+31%
Home value$198,800+5%
Population12,361−91%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
BLACK HAWK COUNTY VS
Benton County
Income$86,962+31%
Home value$208,200+10%
Population26,004−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Black Hawk County, Iowa?

Black Hawk County, Iowa has about 131,049 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Black Hawk County, Iowa?

The typical household in Black Hawk County, Iowa earns about $66,417 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Black Hawk County, Iowa expensive?

In Black Hawk County, Iowa, the median home is worth about $188,900, and the typical rent is about $989 a month.

How educated are people in Black Hawk County, Iowa?

About 30.3% of adults age 25 and over in Black Hawk County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Black Hawk County, Iowa?

About 14.9% of people in Black Hawk County, Iowa live below the federal poverty line.

Has Black Hawk County, Iowa grown since 1990?

Yes, Black Hawk County, Iowa has grown since 1990. The population has added about 7,251 residents, a change of about 6 percent over that period.

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Explore from here

39 census tracts (top 20 by population)
Census Tract 26.05Census Tract 26.01Census Tract 25Census Tract 30.01Census Tract 26.06Census Tract 20Census Tract 14Census Tract 26.04Census Tract 30.02Census Tract 13.01Census Tract 23.03Census Tract 15.02Census Tract 13.02Census Tract 22Census Tract 24Census Tract 10Census Tract 15.03Census Tract 27Census Tract 29.02Census Tract 8
12 ZIP codes
ZIP 50613ZIP 50701ZIP 50702ZIP 50703ZIP 50707ZIP 50648ZIP 50651ZIP 50643ZIP 50626ZIP 50667ZIP 50634ZIP 50623
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →