Carroll County, Iowa Demographics

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

Carroll 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
    Healthier than 90% of counties in Iowa
  • B
    Income Around average
    Wealthier than 82% of counties in Iowa
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Carroll County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Carroll County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Population 20,594 3,204,793 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 36.1 57.0 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.03% 0.41% 0.59%
Median age 42.7 36.8 37.3
Households 8,801 1,308,457 130,235,071

Population in Carroll County declined by 0.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,594 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Carroll County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Carroll County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.3% 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 50.4% of the people living in Carroll County and men 49.6%.

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100% of everyone living in Carroll County

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Economy

Carroll County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.

Metric Carroll County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $71,378 $75,133 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.77% 3.99% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.8% 3.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Carroll County is about 5% lower than in Iowa.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Carroll County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $167,460 $153,425 $248,835
Median rent $730 $971 $1,407
Homeownership rate 77.1% 71.7% 65.2%

The median home price in Carroll County is about 19.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $730 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Carroll 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 90 hours, about 3.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Carroll County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 10.8 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 21.7 33.9 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 90 141 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,802 $4,382 $5,790
Work from home 7.3% 11.3% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 982 4,993 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 417 606 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 Carroll 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

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

Metric Carroll County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 20.3% 27.9% 31.6%
Average household size 2.28 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

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

Metric Carroll County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 80.1 79.2 78.3
Self-rated poor health 12.4% 13.6% 16.3%
Smokers 17.1% 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 Carroll County, Iowa.

How many people live in Carroll County, Iowa?

About 20,594 people live in Carroll County, Iowa, in 8,801 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.

Is Carroll County, Iowa urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Carroll County, Iowa has 36 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 42% of the U.S. average of 86.

Can a typical household afford a home in Carroll County, Iowa?

The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($167,460 against $71,378), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $730 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is it hard to find a job in Carroll County, Iowa?

Unemployment in Carroll County, Iowa is only 1.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

How educated are people in Carroll County, Iowa?

20.3% of adults in Carroll 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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