Wayne County, Iowa Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Wayne 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.

  • C
    Health Below average
    Among the 3 least healthy counties in Iowa
  • C
    Income Below average
    Less wealthy than 89% of counties in Iowa
  • F
    Education Well below average
    Among the 3 least educated counties in Iowa

Source: Map AI Methodology

Wayne County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Wayne County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Population 6,531 3,204,793 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 12.4 57.0 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.25% 0.41% 0.59%
Median age 42.4 36.8 37.3
Households 2,565 1,308,457 130,235,071

Population in Wayne County grew by 3.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,531 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Wayne County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Wayne County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.7% of residents. That is 3.0 points above Iowa as a whole.

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 50.6% of the people living in Wayne County and men 49.4%.

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6,531

100% of everyone living in Wayne County

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Economy

Wayne County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.

Metric Wayne County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $61,690 $75,133 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.84% 3.99% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 2.9% 3.6% 5.2%

The median household income in Wayne County is about 18% lower than in Iowa.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Wayne County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $57,141 $153,425 $248,835
Median rent $659 $971 $1,407
Homeownership rate 80.9% 71.7% 65.2%

The median home price in Wayne County is about 7.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $659 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Wayne County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 153 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Wayne County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 18.4 17.0 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 36.8 33.9 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 153 141 187
Estimated yearly cost $4,751 $4,382 $5,790
Work from home 6.2% 11.3% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) — 4,993 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 211 606 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 Wayne County is 18 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Wayne County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.

Metric Wayne County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 13.6% 27.9% 31.6%
Average household size 2.50 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

Wayne County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.

Metric Wayne County Iowa Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 78.6 79.2 78.3
Self-rated poor health 17.7% 13.6% 16.3%
Smokers 21.5% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Wayne County, Iowa.

How big is Wayne County, Iowa by population?

About 6,531 people live in Wayne County, Iowa, in 2,565 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.

Is Wayne County, Iowa mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Wayne County, Iowa has 12 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 14% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Wayne County, Iowa?

The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($57,141 against $61,690), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $659 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 Wayne County, Iowa?

Unemployment in Wayne County, Iowa is only 2.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

What share of adults in Wayne County, Iowa have a college degree?

13.6% of adults in Wayne County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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