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Iowa Quick Facts

Population

Population (2018)¹: 3,156,145

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 (2016)¹

Urban: 64.3%
Rural: 35.7%
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan population (2016)^1,2
Metropolitan: 59.3%
Non-metropolitan: 40.7%
Metropolitan areas: 9 areas comprised of 21 Iowa counties
Micropolitan areas: 16 areas comprised of 18 Iowa counties
Combined statistical areas: 4 areas comprised of 13 Iowa counties

Business and Industry

Gross Domestic Product (2015)³

Total (in millions): $147,030
By Industry

Manufacturing: $32,901
Government: $20,161
Real estate, rental and leasing: $17,929
Finance and insurance: $19,968
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting: $9,366
Health care & social assistance: $11,949
Wholesale trade: $10,082
Retail trade: $9,483
Construction: $7,798
Transportation and warehousing: $5,864
Professional, scientific and technical services: $5,445

Information: $4,106
Utilities: $2,654
Arts, entertainment, and recreation: $1,132
Mining: $358

Exports (2016)¹

Top commodity exports (in millions):

Corn Except Seed Corn - $1,208
Tractors - $633
Swine meat, fresh or chilled - $453
Herbicide - $365
Soybean oilcake & other solid residue - $342
Brewing or Distilling Dregs - $328
Swine meat, frozen - $320
Civilian aircraft, engines & parts - $260
Soybeans - $252

Top destinations of exports (in millions):

Canada - $3,351
Mexico - $2,306
Japan - $1,103

Businesses¹

Business establishments with employees (2014): 80,466
Non-employer business establishments (2014): 205,908

Farms⁴

Number of farms (2012): 88,637
Acres in farmland (2012): 30,622,731

Building Permits¹

Residential building permits issued - Imputed (2015): 7,924

Employment

Unemployment rate (2016)¹: 3.9%
Employment status (2016)¹

In labor force, 16 and over: 67.6%
Females 16 years and over in labor force: 62.9%

Employees in nonfarm establishments (2015)⁵

Total: 1,562,400

Construction: 78,600
Manufacturing: 216,000
Trade, transportation, and utilities: 315,900
Wholesale trade: 69,900
Retail trade: 180,000
Information: 24,800
Financial activities: 105,700
Professional and business services: 139,200
Educational and health services: 225,300
Leisure and hospitality: 139,600
Government: 255,000
Other services: 60,100

Farm operators (2012)⁴

Operators by principal occupation

Farming: 47,949
Other: 40,866

Operators by days worked off farm

Any: 50,949
200 days or more: 33,610

Commuting to work (2016)¹

Mean travel time to work (minutes): 19.0

Vital Statistics

Births (2016)⁶

Total: 39,094
Rate per 1,000 population: 12.5

Deaths (2016)⁶

Total: 29,318
Rate per 1,000 population: 9.4

Marriages (2016)⁶

Total: 19,277
Rate per 1,000 population: 6.1

Dissolutions (2016)⁶

Total: 3,932
Rate per 1,000 population: 1.3

Households and Families

Households (2016)¹

Number of households: 1,247,932
Average household size (people): 2.43

Families (2016)¹

Number of families: 795,043
Average family size (people): 3.01
Percent of all married couple families with own children under 18 years: 38.6%
Percent of all female householder, no husband present householder families with own children under 18 years: 67.2%

General Demographic Characteristics

Sex and age (2016)¹

Male: 49.7%
Female: 50.3%
Population under 5 years: 6.3%
Population 18 years and over: 76.8%
Population 65 years and over: 16.4%
Population 85 years and over: 2.5%
Median age (years): 38.0

Race and Hispanic or Latino (2016)¹

White alone: 90.4%
Black or African American alone: 3.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3%
Asian alone: 2.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1%
Two or more races: 1.8%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 5.7%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 86.4%

Social Characteristics

Educational attainment (2016)¹

High school graduate or higher: 91.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 28.4%

Veteran status (2016)¹

Civilian veterans: 7.6%

Disability status (2016)¹

Population 5 years and over with a disability: 11.8%

Nativity and citizenship (2016)¹

Native: 94.9%
Foreign-born: 5.1%

Naturalized citizen: 38.7%
Not a citizen: 61.3%

Language spoken at home (2016)¹

English only: 92.3%
Spanish: 4.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander: 1.4%
Other: 2.3%

Ancestry (single or multiple) (2016)¹

German: 33.9%
Irish: 13.6%
Other: 52.5%

Economic Characteristics

Income (2016) ¹

Median household income: $56,247
Median family income: $72,351
Per capita income: $30,047

Median earnings (2016)¹

Male full-time, year-round workers: $49,385
Female full-time, year-round workers: $37,791

Individual poverty status (2016)¹

Individuals below poverty level: 11.8%
Related children under 18 years below poverty level: 14.4%
Individuals 65 years and over below poverty level: 8.2%

Family poverty status (2016)¹

Families below poverty level: 7.6%
Families with related children under 18 years below poverty level: 12.7%
Families with female householder, no husband present, with related children under 18 years below poverty level: 36.6%

Housing Characteristics

Housing occupancy and tenure (2016)¹

Total housing units: 1,380,087
Owner-occupied: 70.6%

Year structure built (2016)¹

2010 and later: 4.7%
1939 or earlier: 25.7%
Median year built: 1969

Rooms (2016)¹

Median rooms: 5.9

Value and owner costs (2016)¹

Median value of owner-occupied units: $142,300
Median selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income: 16.0%

Gross rent (2016)¹

Median gross rent of renter-occupied units: $741
Median gross rent as a percentage of household income: 27.4%

Governmental Units: Counties, Cities, and Townships

Counties (2017)¹

Number of counties: 99
Population - Largest: 481,830 - Polk County
Population - Smallest: 3,686 - Adams County
Land area (2010) - Largest: 973 square miles - Kossuth County
Land area (2010) - Smallest: 381.1 square miles - Dickinson County

Incorporated places (2017) ¹

Number of places: 944
Population - Largest: 217,521 - Des Moines in Polk County
Population - Smallest: 14 - Le Roy in Decatur County
Number of census designated places (2010): 62

Townships ¹

Number of townships (2010): 1,661

Statistical Units: Census Geography

Census Geography ¹

Census tracts (2010): 825
Census block groups (2010): 2,630
Census blocks (2010): 216,007

Links to More Data About Iowa

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.