Iowa Quick Facts

Population

Population (2020)1: 3,190,369

Rank among states: 31

Population (2010)1: 3,046,355

  • Rank among states: 30

Population (2050 projection)7: 3,474,647

 

Land Area and Urbanization

Land area and population density (2010)1

    • Land area: 55,857.1 square miles

    • Population density: 54.5 people per square mile

  • Urban and rural population (2019)1

    • Urban: 64.3%

    • Rural: 35.7%

  • Metropolitan and non-metropolitan population (2019)1,2

    • Metropolitan: 61.3%

    • Non-metropolitan: 39.7%

    • Metropolitan areas: 9 areas comprised of 22 Iowa counties

    • Micropolitan areas: 15 areas comprised of 16 Iowa counties

    • Combined statistical areas: 6 areas comprised of 25 Iowa counties

 

Business and Industry

  • Gross Domestic Product (2018)3

    • Total (in millions): $167,909.7

    • By Industry

      • Manufacturing: $33,557.1
      • Finance and insurance: $25,924.9
      • Government: $21,791.9
      • Real estate, rental and leasing: $19,545.1
      • Health care & social assistance: $12,545.8
      • Wholesale trade: $11,379.9
      • Retail trade: $9,893.2
      • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting: $8,493.5
      • Construction: $7,699.7
      • Professional, scientific and technical services: $6,492.5
      • Transportation and warehousing: $6,381.6
      • Information: $4,802.2
      • Utilities: $3,389.5
      • Arts, entertainment, and recreation: $1,210.8

      • Mining: $383.4

  • Exports (2018)1

    • Top commodity exports (in millions):

      • Corn Except Seed Corn - $1,441
      • Tractors - $812
      • Soybeans $446
      • Swine meat, frozen - $401
      • Swine meat, fresh or chilled - $399
      • Herbicide - $396
      • Brewing or Distilling Dregs - $385
      • Soybean oilcake & other solid residue - $334
      • Civilian aircraft, engines & parts - $308

    • Top destinations of exports (in millions):

      • Canada - $4,283
      • Mexico - $2,336
      • Japan - $975
  • Businesses1

    • Business establishments with employees (2017): 82,685

    • Non-employer business establishments (2017): 211,320
  • Farms4

    • Number of farms (2017): 86,104

    • Acres in farmland (2017): 30,563,878

  • Building Permits1

    • Residential building permits issued - Imputed (2019): 8,252

 

Employment

  • Unemployment rate (2019)1: 3.7%

  • Employment status (2019)1

    • In labor force, 16 and over: 66.9%

    • Females 16 years and over in labor force: 80.2%

  • Employees in nonfarm establishments (2018)5

    • Total: 1,583,600

      • Construction: 77,300
      • Manufacturing: 222,600
      • Trade, transportation, and utilities: 312,500
      • Information: 22,100
      • Financial activities: 110,000
      • Professional and business services: 139,600
      • Educational and health services: 235,000
      • Leisure and hospitality: 143,900
      • Government: 260,600
      • Other services: 57,500
         

  • Farm operators (2017)4

    • Operators by principal occupation

      • Farming: 45,234

      • Other: 40,870

    • Operators by days worked off farm

      • Any: 46,635

      • 200 days or more: 30,635

  • Commuting to work (2019)1

    • Mean travel time to work (minutes): 19.8

Vital Statistics

  • Births (2019)6

    • Total: 37,557

    • Rate per 1,000 population: 11.9

  • Deaths (2019)6

    • Total: 30,669

    • Rate per 1,000 population: 9.7

  • Marriages (2019)6

    • Total: 17,049

    • Rate per 1,000 population: 5.4

  • Dissolutions (2019)6

    • Total: 7,127

    • Rate per 1,000 population: 2.3

Households and Families

  • Households (2019)1

    • Number of households: 1,287,221

    • Average household size (people): 2.38

  • Families (2019)1

    • Number of families: 808,802

    • Average family size (people): 2.96

    • Percent of all married couple families with own children under 18 years: 37.7%

    • Percent of all female householder, no husband present householder families with own children under 18 years: 61.4%

General Demographic Characteristics

  • Sex and age (2019)1

    • Male: 49.8%

    • Female: 50.2%

    • Population under 5 years: 6.0%

    • Population 18 years and over: 77.1%

    • Population 65 years and over: 17.5%

    • Population 85 years and over: 2.4%

    • Median age (years): 38.5

  • Race and Hispanic or Latino (2019)1

    • White alone: 89.9%

    • Black or African American alone: 4.1%

    • American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.4%

    • Asian alone: 2.4%

    • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%

    • Two or more races: 2.2%

    • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 6.3%

    • White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 85.1%

Social Characteristics

  • Educational attainment (2019)1

    • High school graduate or higher: 92.6%

    • Bachelor's degree or higher: 29.3%

  • Veteran status (2019)1

    • Civilian veterans: 7.6%

  • Disability status (2019)1

    • Population 5 years and over with a disability: 11.8%

  • Nativity and citizenship (2019)1

    • Native: 94.4%

    • Foreign-born: 5.6%

      • Naturalized citizen: 46.4%

      • Not a citizen: 53.6%

  • Language spoken at home (2019)1

    • English only: 91.1%

    • Spanish: 4.4%

    • Asian and Pacific Islander: 1.7%

    • Other: 2.8%

  • Ancestry (single or multiple) (2019)1

    • German: 31.1%

    • Irish: 12.6%

    • Other: 56.3%

Economic Characteristics

  • Income (2019) 1

    • Median household income: $61,691

    • Median family income: $78,152

    • Per capita income: $33,107

  • Median earnings (2019)1

    • Male full-time, year-round workers: $52, 070

    • Female full-time, year-round workers: $40,681

  • Individual poverty status (2019)1

    • Individuals below poverty level: 11.2%

    • Related children under 18 years below poverty level: 12.6%

    • Individuals 65 years and over below poverty level: 7.4%

  • Family poverty status (2019)1

    • Families below poverty level: 7.3%

    • Families with related children under 18 years below poverty level: 11.7%

    • Families with female householder, no husband present, with related children under 18 years below poverty level: 32.0%

Housing Characteristics

  • Housing occupancy and tenure (2019)1

    • Total housing units: 1,418,600

    • Owner-occupied: 70.5%

  • Year structure built (2019)1

    • 2014 and later: 4.7%

    • 1939 or earlier: 25.5%

    • Median year built: 1970

  • Rooms (2019)1

    • Median rooms: 5.9

  • Value and owner costs (2019)1

    • Median value of owner-occupied units: $158,900

    • Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income: 16.0%

  • Gross rent (2019)1

    • Median gross rent of renter-occupied units: $808

    • Median gross rent as a percentage of household income: 26.5%

Governmental Units: Counties, Cities, and Townships

  • Counties (2020)1

    • Number of counties: 99

    • Population - Largest: 492,401 - Polk County

    • Population - Smallest: 3,704- Adams County

    • Land area (2010) - Largest: 973 square miles - Kossuth County

    • Land area (2010) - Smallest: 381.1 square miles - Dickinson County

  • Incorporated places (2020) 1

    • Number of places: 941

    • Population - Largest: 214,133 - Des Moines in Polk County

    • Population - Smallest: 11 - Le Roy in Decatur County

    • Number of census designated places (2020): 86

  • Townships 1

    • Number of townships (2020): 1,662

Statistical Units: Census Geography

  • Census Geography 1

    • Census tracts (2020): 896

    • Census block groups (2020): 2,703

    • Census blocks (2020): 175,199

 

Data Sources

1 U.S. Census Bureau

2 U.S. Office of Management and Budget

3 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

4 USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

5 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

6 Iowa Department of Public Health

7 Woods & Poole Economic, Inc.