Dubuque, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Dubuque, 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 average
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C
Income Below average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Dubuque | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 55,499 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1715.1 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.09% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 35.4 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 24,365 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Dubuque grew by 16.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 55,499 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Dubuque is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.5% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 13,614 24.5% +2.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,371 18.7% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,003 18.0% -0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 10,150 18.3% +0.6 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 51.4% of the people living in Dubuque and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 48.6% Iowa 50.0%
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Economy
Dubuque has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Dubuque | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $66,073 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.92% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Dubuque is about 12% lower than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Dubuque | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $24,314 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $946 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 64.5% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Dubuque is about 2.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $946 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Dubuque spend about 25 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 105 hours, about 4.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Dubuque | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 12.6 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 25.3 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 105 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,264 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.6% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,515 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,527 | 606 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Dubuque 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.
Education & Households
Dubuque has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Dubuque | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.8% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.12 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Health
Dubuque has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Dubuque | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.9% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.8% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Dubuque, Iowa.
What is the population of Dubuque, Iowa?
About 55,499 people live in Dubuque, Iowa, in 24,365 households of 2.1 people on average. The median age is 35.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.
Is Dubuque, Iowa mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Dubuque, Iowa has 1,715 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 20 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Dubuque, Iowa?
The median home costs 0.4 times the median household income ($24,314 against $66,073), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $946 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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