Iowa County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Iowa 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 70% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 88% of counties in Iowa
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Iowa County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,507 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 28.1 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.14% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 44.0 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 6,909 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Iowa County grew by 4.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 16,507 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Iowa County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.0% of residents. That is 3.1 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,034 18.4% -3.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,128 19.0% -1.5 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,627 22.0% +3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,115 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 49.8% of the people living in Iowa County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 50.2% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Iowa County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Iowa County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Iowa County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $71,556 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.04% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.9% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Iowa County is about 5% lower than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Iowa County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $33,999 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $685 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.6% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Iowa County is about 4.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $685 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Iowa County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 157 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Iowa County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.8 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.6 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 157 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,853 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.1% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,154 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 471 | 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 Iowa County is 19 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
Iowa County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Iowa County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.7% | 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
Iowa County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Iowa County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.8 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.7% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.3% | 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).
Iowa County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Iowa County, IA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 16,507 residents against a local median of 25,722. Iowa County, IA's median home price, at $33,999, runs 83% below the $195,175 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $404,528 on median home price, so Iowa County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Iowa County, IA has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa County, IA | 16,507 | $71,556 #4/4 | $33,999 #4/4 | 18.8 min #3/4 |
| Benton County, IA | 25,722 | $87,152 | $45,471 | 23.7 min |
| Johnson County, IA | 156,634 | $74,948 | $195,175 | 17.3 min |
| Washington County, IA | 22,560 | $76,076 | $449,999 | 18.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Iowa County, Iowa.
How many people live in Iowa County, Iowa?
About 16,507 people live in Iowa County, Iowa, in 6,909 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 44.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Iowa County, Iowa mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Iowa County, Iowa has 28 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 33% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Iowa County, Iowa an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($33,999 against $71,556), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $685 a month takes about 11% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Iowa County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Iowa County, Iowa is only 1.9%, 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 Iowa County, Iowa?
21.7% of adults in Iowa 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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