Iowa Quick Facts
Population
- Population (2007 estimate)1: 2,988,046
- Rank among states: 30
- Population (2000 census)1 : 2,926,324
- Rank among states: 30
- Population (2030 projection)1 : 2,955,172
Land Area and Urbanization
- Land area and population density (2000)1
- Land area: 55,869.3 square miles
- Population density: 52.4 people per square mile
- Urban and rural population (2000)1
- Urban: 61.1%
- Rural (total): 38.9%
- Rural (farm): 5.9
- Metropolitan and non-metropolitan population (2006)1,2
- Metropolitan: 55.2%
- Non-metropolitan: 44.8%
- Metropolitan areas: 9 areas comprised of 20 Iowa counties
- Micropolitan areas: 15 areas comprised of 17 Iowa counties
- Combined statistical areas: 4 areas comprised of 13 Iowa counties
Business and Industry
- Gross Domestic Product (2006)3
- Total (in millions): $123,970
- By Industry (2006)
- Manufacturing: $26,068
- Services: $19,373
- Finance and insurance: $15,055
- Government: $14,266
- Retail trade: $7,537
- Transportation and warehousing: $4,429
- Wholesale trade: $7,177
- Construction: $5,191
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting: $4,051
- Mining: $205
- Real estate, rental and leasing: $11,312
- Utilities: $2,451
- Information: $3,670
- Arts, entertainment, and related activities: $1,215
- Exports (2006)1
- Top commodity exports (in millions):
- Tractors - $712
- Corn Except Seed Corn - $278
- Meat of Swine, Frozen or Fresh - $244
- Top destinations of exports (in millions):
- Canada - $3,065
- Mexico - $1,284
- Japan - $656
- Businesses1
- Business establishments with employees (2005): 82,087
- Non-employer business establishments (2005): 192,917
- Farms4
- Number of farms (2006): 88,600
- Acres in farmland (2006): 31,500,000
- Residential building permits issued (2006)1: 12,879
Employment
- Unemployment rate (2006)5: 3.7%
- Employment status (2006)1
- In labor force: 69.2%
- Females 16 years and over in labor force: 63.9%
- Families with own children under 6 years
- All parents in labor force: 72.0%
- Employees in nonfarm establishments (2005)5
- Total: 1,481,100
- Wholesale and retail trade: 248,000
- Manufacturing: 229,600
- Government: 245,500
- Financial activities: 98,400
- Transportation and public utilities: 58,800
- Construction: 71,200
- Information: 33,300
- Professional and business services: 112,700
- Educational and health services: 195,400
- Farm operators (2002)4
- Operators by principal occupation
- Farming: 80,739
- Other: 44,140
- Operators by days worked off farm
- Any: 69,581
- 200 days or more: 46,898
- Commuting to work (2005)1
- Mean travel time to work (minutes): 18.4
Vital Statistics
- Births (2005)6
- Total: 39,275
- Rate per 1,000 population: 13.2
- Deaths (2005)6
- Total: 27,770
- Rate per 1,000 population: 9.4
- Marriages (2005)6
- Total: 20,419
- Rate per 1,000 population: 6.9
- Dissolutions (2005)6
- Total: 8,148
- Rate per 1,000 population: 2.7
Households and Families
- Households (2006)1
- Number of households: 1,208,765
- Average household size (people): 2.38
- Families (2006)1
- Number of families: 796,970
- Average family size (people): 2.92
- Married couple family with own children under 18 years: 32.9%
- Single householder with own children under 18 years: 12.6%
General Demographic Characteristics
- Sex and age (2006)1
- Male: 49.3%
- Female: 50.7%
- Population under 5 years: 6.4%
- Population 18 years and over: 76.0%
- Population 65 years and over: 14.6%
- Population 85 years and over: 2.3%
- Median age (years): 37.8
- Race and Hispanic or Latino (2006)1
- White alone: 93.0%
- Black or African American alone: 2.3%
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3%
- Asian alone: 1.5%
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.01%
- Two or more races: 1.4%
- Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 3.8%
- White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 91.0%
Social Characteristics
- Educational attainment (2006)1
- High school graduate or higher: 88.9%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 24.0%
- Veteran status (2006)1
- Civilian veterans: 11.2%
- Disability status (2006)1
- Population 5 years and over with a disability: 14.2%
- Nativity and citizenship (2006)1
- Native: 96.2%
- Foreign-born: 3.7%
- Naturalized citizen: 1.4%
- Not a citizen: 2.4%
- Language spoken at home (2006)1
- English only: 93.6%
- Spanish: 3.5%
- Asian and Pacific Islander: 1.0%
- Other: 1.8%
- Ancestry (single or multiple) (2006)1
- German: 41.0%
- Irish: 15.7%
- Other: 43.3%
Economic Characteristics
- Income (2006) 1
- Median household income: $44,491
- Median family income: $55,735
- Per capita income: $23,115
- Median earnings (2006)1
- Male full-time, year-round workers: $39,753
- Female full-time, year-round workers: $29,824
- Individual poverty status (2006)1
- Individuals below poverty level: 11.0%
- Related children under 18 years below poverty level: 13.7%
- Individuals 65 years and over below poverty level: 8.0%
- Family poverty status (2006)1
- Families below poverty level: 7.3%
- Families with related children under 18 years below poverty level: 12.1%
- Families with female householder, no husband present, with related children under 18 years below poverty level: 36.5%
Housing Characteristics
- Housing occupancy and tenure (2006)1
- Total housing units: 1,319,980
- Owner-occupied: 67.1%
- Year structure built (2006)1
- 1990 and later: 19.3%
- Before 1950: 35.8%
- Median year built: 1963
- Rooms (2006)1
- Median rooms: 5.7
- Value and owner costs (2006)1
- Median value of owner-occupied units: $112,600
- Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income: 18.8%
- Gross rent (2006)1
- Median gross rent of renter-occupied units: $584
- Median gross rent as a percentage of household income: 27.4%
Governmental Units: Counties, Cities, and Townships
- Counties (2006)1
- Number of counties: 99
- Population - Largest: 408,888 - Polk County
- Population - Smallest: 4,192 - Adams County
- Land area (2000) - Largest: 973 square miles - Kossuth County
- Land area (2000) - Smallest: 381.1 square miles - Dickinson County
- Incorporated places (2006) 1
- Number of places: 948
- Population - Largest: 193,886 - Des Moines in Polk County
- Population - Smallest: 9 - Le Roy in Decatur County
- Number of census designated places (2000): 5
- Townships 1
- Number of townships (2000): 1,660
Statistical Units: Census Geography
- Census Geography 1
- Census tracts (2000): 793
- Census block groups (2000): 2,634
- Census blocks (2000): 168,075
Links to More Data About Iowa
Data Sources
1U.S. Census Bureau
2U.S. Office of Management and Budget
3U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
4USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service
5U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
6Iowa Department of Public Health
7 Woods & Poole Economic, Inc.
Last modified
January 11, 2008 10:34 AM