Boone County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Boone County, IA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 82% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 84% of counties in Iowa
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 82% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Boone County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,668 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 46.5 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.12% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.4 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 10,936 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Boone County grew by 1.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 26,668 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Boone County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.2% of residents. That is 2.4 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,140 19.3% -3.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,576 20.9% +0.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,663 21.2% +2.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,137 19.3% +1.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Iowa, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.4% of the people living in Boone County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 50.6% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Boone County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Boone County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Boone County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $84,575 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.50% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.5% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Boone County is about 13% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Boone County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $405,319 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $845 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 80.0% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Boone County is about 40.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $845 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Boone County spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 173 hours, about 7.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Boone County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.8 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.5 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 173 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,367 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,922 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 743 | 606 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Iowa:
Sioux County (10.1 min), Union County (10.4 min), Cass County (10.6 min).
Slowest:
Monroe County (30.4 min), Madison County (30.1 min), Mills County (26.7 min).
The average commute time in Boone County is 21 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Iowa.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Boone County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Boone County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.5% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.4), Dallas County (0.4), Story County (0.4).
Lowest:
Crawford County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Louisa County (0.2).
Health
Boone County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Boone County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.5 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.2% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.3% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.8), Story County (0.8), Winneshiek County (0.8).
Lowest:
Davis County (0.8), Wayne County (0.8), Appanoose County (0.8).
Boone County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Boone County, IA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 26,668 residents against a local median of 100,466. Boone County, IA's median home price, at $405,319, runs 55% above the $260,937 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 20.8 min against a local median of 15.2 min, 36% above it. The picture is mixed rather than uniform: median household income runs ahead of the neighbourhood while commute runs behind it, so Boone County, IA is trading one against the other rather than simply out-performing what surrounds it. The counties themselves spread $169,421 on median home price, so Boone County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Boone County, IA has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County, IA | 26,668 | $84,575 #2/4 | $405,319 #1/4 | 20.8 min #4/4 |
| Dallas County, IA | 107,966 | $102,109 | $279,595 | 20.4 min |
| Webster County, IA | 36,886 | $66,913 | $110,174 | 14.0 min |
| Story County, IA | 100,466 | $70,594 | $260,937 | 15.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Boone County, Iowa.
What is the population of Boone County, Iowa?
About 26,668 people live in Boone County, Iowa, in 10,936 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Boone County, Iowa?
Averaged over its land area, Boone County, Iowa has 47 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 54% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Boone County, Iowa?
The median home costs 4.8 times the median household income ($405,319 against $84,575), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $845 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Boone County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Boone County, Iowa is only 1.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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