Buena Vista County, Iowa Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Buena Vista 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.

  • B
    Health Around average
  • C
    Income Below average
    Less wealthy than 81% of counties in Iowa
  • D
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 79% of counties in Iowa

Source: Map AI Methodology

Buena Vista County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Buena Vista County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Population 20,753 3,204,793 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 35.8 57.0 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.20% 0.41% 0.59%
Median age 36.4 36.8 37.3
Households 7,546 1,308,457 130,235,071

Population in Buena Vista County grew by 6.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,753 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Buena Vista County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Buena Vista County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 23.6% of residents. That is 1.4 points above Iowa as a whole.

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 49.3% of the people living in Buena Vista County and men 50.7%.

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20,753

100% of everyone living in Buena Vista County

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Economy

Buena Vista County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.

Metric Buena Vista County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $72,416 $75,133 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.87% 3.99% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 5.5% 3.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Buena Vista County is about 4% lower than in Iowa.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Buena Vista County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $319,753 $153,425 $248,835
Median rent $893 $971 $1,407
Homeownership rate 73.2% 71.7% 65.2%

The median home price in Buena Vista County is about 29.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $893 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Buena Vista County spend about 22 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 93 hours, about 3.9 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Buena Vista County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 11.1 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 22.3 33.9 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 93 141 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,875 $4,382 $5,790
Work from home 5.6% 11.3% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,449 4,993 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 302 606 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 Buena Vista County is 11 minutes, shorter 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Buena Vista County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Buena Vista County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 19.4% 27.9% 31.6%
Average household size 2.63 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

Buena Vista County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Buena Vista County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 80.1 79.2 78.3
Self-rated poor health 15.0% 13.6% 16.3%
Smokers 18.2% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Buena Vista County, Iowa.

What is the population of Buena Vista County, Iowa?

About 20,753 people live in Buena Vista County, Iowa, in 7,546 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 36.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.

How densely populated is Buena Vista County, Iowa?

Averaged over its land area, Buena Vista County, Iowa has 36 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 41% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is Buena Vista County, Iowa an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($319,753 against $72,416), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $893 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

What share of adults in Buena Vista County, Iowa have a college degree?

19.4% of adults in Buena Vista County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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