Cedar County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cedar 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 92% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 90% of counties in Iowa
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 72% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cedar County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 18,349 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 31.5 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.03% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,622 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cedar County grew by 2.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 18,349 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cedar County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.5% of residents. That is 3.6 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,279 17.9% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,597 19.6% -0.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,133 22.5% +3.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,501 19.1% +1.4 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 50.3% of the people living in Cedar County and men 49.7%.
- Women 50.3% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.7% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cedar County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cedar County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Cedar County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,972 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.70% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.2% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cedar County is about 8% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Cedar County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $141,406 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $878 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 81.5% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cedar County is about 13.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $878 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cedar County spend about 48 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 200 hours, about 8.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cedar County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 24.0 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 48.0 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 200 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,195 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.1% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,922 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 729 | 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 Cedar County is 24 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
Cedar County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cedar County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 20.4% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.37 | 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
Cedar County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cedar County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 82.2 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.6% | 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).
Cedar County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Cedar County, IA is the smallest of the 6 counties compared here, 18,349 residents against a local median of 156,634. The measure that sets Cedar County, IA apart most is commute: 24.0 min, 38% above the local median of 17.3 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $141,406 against a local median of $168,067, 16% below it. The counties themselves spread 6.1 min on commute, so Cedar County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cedar County, IA has the 6th lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar County, IA | 18,349 | $80,972 #1/6 | $141,406 #5/6 | 24.0 min #6/6 |
| Muscatine County, IA | 42,559 | $69,993 | $84,420 | 15.6 min |
| Jones County, IA | 20,896 | $73,384 | $162,500 | 21.7 min |
| Johnson County, IA | 156,634 | $74,948 | $195,175 | 17.3 min |
| Scott County, IA | 174,608 | $78,775 | $168,067 | 18.0 min |
| Linn County, IA | 230,016 | $78,016 | $232,669 | 16.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cedar County, Iowa.
What is the population of Cedar County, Iowa?
About 18,349 people live in Cedar County, Iowa, in 7,622 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Cedar County, Iowa urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cedar County, Iowa has 32 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 36% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Cedar County, Iowa?
The median home costs 1.7 times the median household income ($141,406 against $80,972), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $878 a month takes about 13% 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 Cedar County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Cedar County, Iowa is only 2.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Cedar County, Iowa have a college degree?
20.4% of adults in Cedar 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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