Linn County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Linn 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 averageHealthier than 88% of counties in Iowa
-
B
Income Around averageWealthier than 93% of counties in Iowa
-
B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 94% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Linn County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 230,016 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 317.6 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.67% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 95,602 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Linn County grew by 12.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 230,016 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Linn County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.1% of residents. That is 1.7 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 49,538 21.5% -0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 50,869 22.1% +1.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 45,441 19.8% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 37,290 16.2% -1.5 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 50.8% of the people living in Linn County and men 49.2%.
- Women 50.8% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.2% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Linn County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Linn County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Linn County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,016 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.16% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.4% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Linn County is about 4% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Linn County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $232,669 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $944 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.5% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Linn County is about 20.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $944 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Linn County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 141 hours, about 5.9 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Linn County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.9 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.7 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 141 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,356 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.7% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,521 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,073 | 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 Linn County is about the same as 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
Linn County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Linn County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31.8% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 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
Linn County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Linn County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.3 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.9% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.7% | 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).
Linn County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Linn County, IA is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 230,016 residents against a local median of 23,309. The measure that sets Linn County, IA apart most is median home price: $232,669, 30% above the local median of $178,837.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.9 min against a local median of 21.1 min, 20% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 20% below the local median it puts Linn County, IA at the better end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $252,804 on median home price, so Linn County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Linn County, IA has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linn County, IA | 230,016 | $78,016 #2/5 | $232,669 #2/5 | 16.9 min #1/5 |
| Johnson County, IA | 156,634 | $74,948 | $195,175 | 17.3 min |
| Buchanan County, IA | 20,694 | $77,708 | $298,275 | 20.6 min |
| Benton County, IA | 25,722 | $87,152 | $45,471 | 23.7 min |
| Jones County, IA | 20,896 | $73,384 | $162,500 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Linn County, Iowa.
How many people live in Linn County, Iowa?
About 230,016 people live in Linn County, Iowa, in 95,602 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 37.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Linn County, Iowa?
Averaged over its land area, Linn County, Iowa has 318 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 3.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Linn County, Iowa an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.0 times the median household income ($232,669 against $78,016), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $944 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 Linn County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Linn County, Iowa is only 3.4%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →