Dickinson County, Iowa Demographics

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

Dickinson 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 81% of counties in Iowa
  • B
    Income Around average
    Among the top 3 wealthiest counties in Iowa
  • B
    Education Around average
    Better educated than 95% of counties in Iowa

Source: Map AI Methodology

Dickinson County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Dickinson County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Population 17,990 3,204,793 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 44.5 57.0 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.68% 0.41% 0.59%
Median age 47.5 36.8 37.3
Households 8,845 1,308,457 130,235,071

Population in Dickinson County grew by 8.0% from 2010 to 2024, reaching 17,990 in 2024.

Population Growth 2010–2024

Year Dickinson County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Dickinson County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 26.4% of residents. That is 8.7 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 Dickinson County and men 50.0%.

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Residents matching this profile

17,990

100% of everyone living in Dickinson County

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Economy

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

Metric Dickinson County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $75,709 $75,133 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.39% 3.99% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 3.0% 3.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Dickinson County is about 1% higher than in Iowa.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Dickinson County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $365,957 $153,425 $248,835
Median rent $922 $971 $1,407
Homeownership rate 77.5% 71.7% 65.2%

The median home price in Dickinson County is about 33.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $922 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Dickinson County spend about 28 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 116 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Dickinson County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 13.9 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 27.8 33.9 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 116 141 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,594 $4,382 $5,790
Work from home 10.5% 11.3% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 2,379 4,993 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 478 606 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 Dickinson County is 14 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

Dickinson County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.

Metric Dickinson County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 30.4% 27.9% 31.6%
Average household size 2.00 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

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

Metric Dickinson County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 79.9 79.2 78.3
Self-rated poor health 11.9% 13.6% 16.3%
Smokers 15.3% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Dickinson County, Iowa.

How big is Dickinson County, Iowa by population?

About 17,990 people live in Dickinson County, Iowa, in 8,845 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 47.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.

Is Dickinson County, Iowa urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Dickinson County, Iowa has 45 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 52% of the U.S. average of 86.

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

The median home costs 4.8 times the median household income ($365,957 against $75,709), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $922 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How strong is the job market in Dickinson County, Iowa?

Unemployment in Dickinson County, Iowa is only 3.0%, 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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