Harrison County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Harrison 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 averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 80% of counties in Iowa
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Harrison County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,632 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 20.8 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.27% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.5 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,089 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Harrison County grew by 28.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,632 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Harrison County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.2% of residents. That is 3.3 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,706 18.5% -3.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,719 18.6% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,249 22.2% +3.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,758 18.9% +1.2 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 49.3% of the people living in Harrison County and men 50.7%.
- Women 49.3% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 50.7% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Harrison County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Harrison County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Harrison County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $79,770 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.84% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Harrison County is about 6% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Harrison County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $203,125 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $849 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.1% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Harrison County is about 19.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $849 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Harrison County spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 220 hours, about 9.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Harrison County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.4 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.7 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 220 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,811 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,523 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 406 | 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 Harrison County is 26 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
Harrison County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Harrison County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 19.1% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.36 | 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
Harrison County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Harrison County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.5% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.0% | 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).
Harrison County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Harrison County, IA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 14,632 residents against a local median of 93,423. Harrison County, IA's commute, at 26.4 min, runs 43% above the 18.4 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves sit within 3.6 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Harrison County, IA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Harrison County, IA has the 4th lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison County, IA | 14,632 | $79,770 #3/4 | $203,125 #2/4 | 26.4 min #4/4 |
| Washington County, NE | 21,106 | $94,639 | $66,052 | 21.7 min |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 93,423 | $73,385 | $189,294 | 18.1 min |
| Douglas County, NE | 590,696 | $80,916 | $284,147 | 18.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Harrison County, Iowa.
How many people live in Harrison County, Iowa?
About 14,632 people live in Harrison County, Iowa, in 6,089 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 43.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Harrison County, Iowa urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Harrison County, Iowa has 21 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 24% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Harrison County, Iowa?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($203,125 against $79,770), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $849 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Harrison County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Harrison County, Iowa is only 2.3%, 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 Harrison County, Iowa?
19.1% of adults in Harrison 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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