STATE · ADMITTED 1846
Iowa
3,210,507 residents · 99 counties · 1026 cities · 55,857 sq mi · 896 census tracts
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The short version
With 3,210,507 people, Iowa is a state. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $208,000. 6% of people here were born outside the United States. Density works out to 57 people per square mile. Owners hold 72% of the housing stock. The average commute runs 20 minutes.
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
55,857 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20243.2M
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.9%(187,839)
5 to 96.3%(202,818)
10 to 146.6%(212,029)
15 to 197%(226,310)
20 to 247.1%(227,362)
25 to 3412.5%(399,923)
35 to 4412.6%(405,612)
45 to 5411.3%(362,615)
55 to 6412.6%(403,843)
65 to 7410.6%(339,586)
75 to 845.2%(168,017)
85 and over2.3%(74,553)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$75,059
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $39,469 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
50.0%
+22.8 ptssince 2009
from 27.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade14.7%
Information11.5%
Other services7.6%
Wholesale trade6.9%
Public administration6.5%
Finance & insurance5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing3.7%
Construction3.6%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
Education & health services0.8%
Manufacturing0.2%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$208,000
+39%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $82,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
2.8
+15%since 2009
from 2.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic92.6%(2,710,344)
Black2.1%(60,744)
Hispanic / Latino2.8%(82,473)
Asian1.2%(36,345)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic82.3%(2,642,646)
Black3.8%(121,705)
Hispanic / Latino7.3%(233,706)
Asian2.5%(79,174)
Other4.2%(133,276)
39
+74%since 2009
from 22 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
Mexican5%(161,275)
Central American1%(33,019)
Guatemalan0.4%(14,308)
Puerto Rican0.3%(11,157)
Salvadoran0.3%(10,667)
South American0.2%(7,029)
Honduran0.2%(5,515)
Cuban0.1%(4,581)
Spaniard0.1%(3,024)
Colombian0.1%(2,662)
Dominican0.1%(1,659)
Ecuadorian0%(1,104)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0%(1,096)
Peruvian0%(1,031)
Venezuelan0%(893)
Panamanian0%(800)
Chilean0%(620)
Costa Rican0%(555)
Argentine0%(353)
Bolivian0%(174)
Uruguayan0%(50)
Paraguayan0%(26)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(16,299)
Chinese0.3%(10,253)
Vietnamese0.3%(8,783)
Burmese0.3%(8,448)
Korean0.2%(6,616)
Filipino0.2%(6,275)
Laotian0.2%(5,973)
Nepalese0.1%(2,406)
Thai0%(1,359)
Japanese0%(1,113)
Hmong0%(1,027)
Pakistani0%(873)
+ 12 more asian origin groups with data
Kazakh0%(825)
Cambodian0%(743)
Bhutanese0%(611)
Bangladeshi0%(608)
Taiwanese0%(550)
Sri Lankan0%(416)
Mongolian0%(373)
Indonesian0%(358)
Malaysian0%(229)
Uzbek0%(112)
Singaporean0%(68)
Okinawan0%(14)
Pacific Islander origin
Marshallese0.1%(1,806)
Native Hawaiian0%(1,546)
Chuukese0%(954)
Samoan0%(513)
Chamorro0%(409)
Tongan0%(105)
Fijian0%(24)
Guamanian0%(20)
Ancestry
German30.5%(980,649)
Irish12.8%(411,367)
English10.2%(327,821)
American4.6%(148,680)
Norwegian4.2%(135,794)
Dutch3.1%(101,069)
Swedish2.2%(71,093)
Italian2%(63,842)
Scottish1.5%(49,348)
French1.5%(47,610)
Czech1.4%(44,950)
Danish1.4%(44,541)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African1.3%(40,413)
Polish1.2%(37,039)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(20,719)
Welsh0.5%(17,497)
Swiss0.4%(13,708)
British0.3%(9,558)
Arab0.3%(9,291)
Russian0.2%(7,795)
Belgian0.2%(6,622)
Greek0.2%(5,806)
French Canadian0.2%(5,787)
West Indian0.1%(4,277)
Hungarian0.1%(4,142)
Austrian0.1%(3,394)
Lebanese0.1%(3,357)
Croatian0.1%(3,093)
Ethiopian0.1%(2,652)
Ukrainian0.1%(2,579)
Finnish0.1%(2,578)
Nigerian0.1%(2,516)
Lithuanian0.1%(2,189)
Canadian0.1%(2,031)
Jamaican0.1%(2,016)
Somali0.1%(1,724)
Slovak0.1%(1,607)
Portuguese0%(1,579)
Kenyan0%(1,390)
Romanian0%(1,332)
Haitian0%(1,329)
Brazilian0%(1,115)
Egyptian0%(1,113)
Iranian0%(1,103)
Ghanaian0%(1,076)
Latvian0%(1,007)
Syrian0%(959)
Serbian0%(888)
Slovene0%(794)
Moroccan0%(652)
Bulgarian0%(602)
Australian0%(546)
Turkish0%(542)
Jordanian0%(536)
Palestinian0%(490)
Armenian0%(367)
Iraqi0%(346)
Israeli0%(252)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(208)
Macedonian0%(179)
Barbadian0%(125)
Guyanese0%(107)
Cape Verdean0%(17)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.3%
+7.2 ptssince 2000
from 86.1% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.8%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 79.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.7%
+4.3 ptssince 2020
from 90.4% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.1%(456,622)
Married52.6%(684,570)
Widowed2.8%(36,271)
Divorced9.5%(123,354)
Women 15+
Never married28.5%(372,044)
Married51.2%(669,559)
Widowed8.8%(115,023)
Divorced11.5%(150,378)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 16.5% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.4%
−2.3 ptssince 2020
from 74.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.8%
+1.6 ptssince 2020
from 35.2% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
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)21.6%(34,630)
Gulf War (1990s)20.3%(32,654)
Vietnam era35.8%(57,549)
Korean War5.4%(8,659)
World War II1.4%(2,255)
Share of the 160,571 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
Section 02
Largest cities
1.Des Moines212,086
2.Cedar Rapids137,935
3.Davenport100,358
4.Sioux City86,356
5.Ankeny77,833
6.Iowa City76,229
7.West Des Moines74,224
8.Ames68,220
9.Waterloo66,919
10.Council Bluffs62,680
11.Dubuque59,148
12.Urbandale48,570
13.Marion42,732
14.Cedar Falls41,240
15.Bettendorf40,710
16.Waukee34,890
17.Marshalltown27,536
18.Mason City26,853
19.Ottumwa25,319
20.Johnston25,065
21.Fort Dodge24,837
22.Clinton24,049
23.Coralville23,960
24.Burlington23,336
25.Muscatine23,164
26.Altoona22,796
27.North Liberty21,976
28.Clive19,861
29.Grimes17,405
30.Indianola16,829
31.Newton15,741
32.Norwalk15,004
33.Boone12,471
34.Storm Lake11,590
35.Oskaloosa11,493
36.Pleasant Hill11,239
37.Spencer11,218
38.Pella10,992
39.Le Mars10,760
40.Waverly10,561
41.Carroll10,085
42.Fort Madison9,935
43.Bondurant9,647
44.Keokuk9,510
45.Grinnell9,430
Section 03
Metropolitan & micropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas (8)
1.Des Moines758,539
2.Davenport380,452
3.Cedar Rapids279,285
4.Iowa City182,711
5.Waterloo169,189
6.Sioux City145,738
7.Ames128,090
8.Dubuque99,381
Micropolitan areas (15)
1.Mason City49,710
2.Clinton46,002
3.Burlington44,061
4.Muscatine41,853
5.Marshalltown39,890
6.Fort Dodge36,838
7.Ottumwa35,210
8.Pella34,192
9.Fort Madison32,306
10.Le Mars25,697
11.Oskaloosa21,880
12.Storm Lake20,449
13.Carroll20,303
14.Spirit Lake18,077
15.Spencer16,202
Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.
Frequently asked
How many people live in Iowa?
Iowa has about 3,210,507 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Iowa?
The typical household in Iowa earns about $75,059 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Iowa expensive?
In Iowa, the median home is worth about $208,000, and the typical rent is about $972 a month.
How educated are people in Iowa?
About 31.4% of adults age 25 and over in Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Iowa?
About 11.1% of people in Iowa live below the federal poverty line.
Has Iowa grown since 1990?
Yes, Iowa has grown since 1990. The population has added about 433,752 residents, a change of about 16 percent over that period.
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