Clarke County, Iowa Demographics

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

Clarke 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
    Less healthy than 80% of counties in Iowa
  • C
    Income Below average
  • D
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 90% of counties in Iowa

Source: Map AI Methodology

Clarke County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Clarke County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Population 9,662 3,204,793 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 22.4 57.0 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.52% 0.41% 0.59%
Median age 36.5 36.8 37.3
Households 4,071 1,308,457 130,235,071

Population in Clarke County grew by 6.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9,662 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Clarke County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Clarke County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.7% of residents. That is 1.8 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 50.0% of the people living in Clarke County and men 50.0%.

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9,662

100% of everyone living in Clarke County

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Economy

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

Metric Clarke County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $71,996 $75,133 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 5.55% 3.99% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 4.2% 3.6% 5.2%

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

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Clarke County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $184,593 $153,425 $248,835
Median rent $931 $971 $1,407
Homeownership rate 72.3% 71.7% 65.2%

The median home price in Clarke County is about 16.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $931 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Clarke County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 112 hours, about 4.7 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Clarke County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 13.4 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 26.9 33.9 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 112 141 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,473 $4,382 $5,790
Work from home 8.9% 11.3% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 5,270 4,993 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 223 606 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 Clarke County is 13 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

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

Metric Clarke County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 14.4% 27.9% 31.6%
Average household size 2.34 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

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

Metric Clarke County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 78.0 79.2 78.3
Self-rated poor health 14.7% 13.6% 16.3%
Smokers 19.4% 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 →

Clarke County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties

How Clarke County, IA compares with the 1 counties closest to it.

Area Population Median household income Median home price Commute
Clarke County, IA 9,662 $71,996 #2/2 $184,593 #2/2 13.4 min #1/2
Warren County, IA 54,398 $95,575 $310,000 22.9 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Clarke County, Iowa.

How big is Clarke County, Iowa by population?

About 9,662 people live in Clarke County, Iowa, in 4,071 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 36.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.

Is Clarke County, Iowa urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Clarke County, Iowa has 22 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 26% of the U.S. average of 86.

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

The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($184,593 against $71,996), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $931 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

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

14.4% of adults in Clarke County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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