Mills County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mills 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 average
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 85% of counties in Iowa
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 79% of counties in Iowa
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Mills County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,568 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 33.0 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.23% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 43.7 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,394 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mills County declined by 3.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14,568 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mills 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 2,629 18.0% -4.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,858 19.6% -0.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,205 22.0% +3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,877 19.7% +2.1 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 50.2% of the people living in Mills County and men 49.8%.
- Women 50.2% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.8% Iowa 50.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Mills County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Mills County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Mills County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $92,134 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.10% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.9% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mills County is about 23% higher than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Mills County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $205,643 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $959 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 83.5% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mills County is about 17.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $959 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mills 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 222 hours, about 9.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mills County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.7 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.3 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 222 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,887 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.1% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,554 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 709 | 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 Mills County is 27 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
Mills County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Mills County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28.7% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.63 | 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
Mills County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Mills County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.3 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.4% | 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).
Mills County, IA Compared With Nearby Counties
Mills County, IA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 14,568 residents against a local median of 93,423. Where Mills County, IA breaks from the counties next to it is commute, sitting 29% above the local median of 20.7 min at 26.7 min. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
The counties themselves spread 9.9 min on commute, so Mills County, IA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Mills County, IA has the 3rd lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mills County, IA | 14,568 | $92,134 #2/4 | $205,643 #2/4 | 26.7 min #3/4 |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 93,423 | $73,385 | $189,294 | 18.1 min |
| Sarpy County, NE | 197,392 | $103,176 | $224,218 | 20.7 min |
| Cass County, NE | 27,161 | $91,453 | $132,500 | 28.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mills County, Iowa.
What is the population of Mills County, Iowa?
About 14,568 people live in Mills County, Iowa, in 5,394 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 43.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Mills County, Iowa urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Mills County, Iowa has 33 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 38% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Mills County, Iowa an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.2 times the median household income ($205,643 against $92,134), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $959 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Mills County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Mills 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.
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