With 14,126 people, O'Brien County is a county in Iowa. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 22% of adults. The typical home is worth $173,100, having roughly tripled since 2000. 76% of homes are owner-occupied. There are 25 people per square mile. The foreign-born share is 4%.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $68,356, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 60%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about O'Brien County
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$78,002 → $173,100(+122%)US over the same years: +67%
Adults with a bachelor's degree12.6% → 22.0%(+9.4 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Median age36.9 → 39.5(+2.6 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
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)13.6%(90)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)10.7%(71)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era33.6%(223)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War16.1%(107)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.3%(2)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 664 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
O'Brien County, decade by decade
O'Brien County 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
15,444
$55,502
$78,002
12.6%
2.3
2000
15,102
$65,139
$108,024
14.7%
7.8
2010
14,398
$63,323
$119,401
19.3%
13.2
2020
14,182
$69,329
$140,960
21.8%
25.6
2024
14,126
$68,356
$173,100
22.0%
29.5
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.
