IA
Iowa
FIPS 19 · Population 3,210,507
6 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
3.2M ▲
Population
334,922,499 U.S.
$75,059 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
$265.8B
GDP
3.2%
Unemployment
4% national
County Map
Click a county to view its economic profile
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$75,059
Per Capita
$40,877
Mean Household
$98,187
Poverty Rate
11.1% ▼
Age & Race / Ethnicity
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.9%
18-34 · 22.5%
35-54 · 23.9%
55-64 · 12.6%
65+ · 18.1%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
93.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +3.7 pts
31.4%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 4.3 pts
10.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 3.6 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates
3,210,507
Population
1,703,347
Labor Force
Employed
1,639,141
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2024 annual
3.2%
Mean Commute 7 min below national avg
19.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.3%
Iowa's median household income sits 7% below the national median. At 11.1%, its poverty rate runs 1.4 pts below the ~12.5% national level, relevant for federal funding eligibility narratives. Bachelor's-or-higher attainment of 31.4% trails the national average of 35.7%.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates (released December 2025). Figures reflect the most recent Census release, older news reports may cite prior vintages.
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, education, and age.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 216,458 workers (19.1% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $76,750.
- Economic scale: State GDP of $265.8B (2024).
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Attraction Opportunities - Below-Average Industries
LQ < 0.5, below-average employment, potential attraction targets. Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector
0.09x
Forestry and Logging
41 employed
0.10x
Web Search Portals, Libraries, and Archives
169 employed
0.11x
Air Transportation
616 employed
0.25x
Water Transportation
175 employed
0.32x
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
351 employed
0.35x
Fishing, Hunting and Trapping
26 employed
0.41x
Private Households
851 employed
0.45x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
2,567 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 4.31x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy.
- Cluster depth: 10 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$208,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$972 ▲
Rent/Mo
71.7% ▲
Owner-Occ
8.5% ▼
Vacancy
2.8x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents (Statewide)
Renter-household-weighted average across 99 Fair Market Rent areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$844/mo$634 to $1,090
1 Bedroom
$902/mo$700 to $1,148
2 Bedroom
$1,112/mo$919 to $1,368
3 Bedroom
$1,477/mo$1,102 to $1,813
4 Bedroom
$1,658/mo$1,217 to $2,046
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,876/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.8x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction.
- High home ownership: 71.7% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
Source: Census ACS housing tables.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
1,893,336 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
▼ vs 2019
Mean Commute
19.8 min
Work From Home
11.3%
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
31.4%
HS Diploma+
93.3%
Top Institutions
Degrees, certificates, and other credentials awarded last academic year (College Scorecard).
9,271/yr
8,469/yr
4,028/yr
2,755/yr
2,365/yr
1,848/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
21.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
39.4%
Service
15.1%
Sales & Office
19.1%
Construction / Maint.
9.5%
Production / Transport
16.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 1,639,141 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 19.8-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage for site selectors.
Source: ACS workforce data.
County Profiles
99 counties in Iowa
Adair County
FIPS 19001
Adams County
FIPS 19003
Allamakee County
FIPS 19005
Appanoose County
FIPS 19007
Audubon County
FIPS 19009
Benton County
FIPS 19011
Black Hawk County
FIPS 19013
Boone County
FIPS 19015
Bremer County
FIPS 19017
Buchanan County
FIPS 19019
Buena Vista County
FIPS 19021
Butler County
FIPS 19023
Calhoun County
FIPS 19025
Carroll County
FIPS 19027
Cass County
FIPS 19029
Cedar County
FIPS 19031
Cerro Gordo County
FIPS 19033
Cherokee County
FIPS 19035
Chickasaw County
FIPS 19037
Clarke County
FIPS 19039
Clay County
FIPS 19041
Clayton County
FIPS 19043
Clinton County
FIPS 19045
Crawford County
FIPS 19047
Dallas County
FIPS 19049
Davis County
FIPS 19051
Decatur County
FIPS 19053
Delaware County
FIPS 19055
Des Moines County
FIPS 19057
Dickinson County
FIPS 19059
Dubuque County
FIPS 19061
Emmet County
FIPS 19063
Fayette County
FIPS 19065
Floyd County
FIPS 19067
Franklin County
FIPS 19069
Fremont County
FIPS 19071
Greene County
FIPS 19073
Grundy County
FIPS 19075
Guthrie County
FIPS 19077
Hamilton County
FIPS 19079
Hancock County
FIPS 19081
Hardin County
FIPS 19083
Harrison County
FIPS 19085
Henry County
FIPS 19087
Howard County
FIPS 19089
Humboldt County
FIPS 19091
Ida County
FIPS 19093
Iowa County
FIPS 19095
Jackson County
FIPS 19097
Jasper County
FIPS 19099
Jefferson County
FIPS 19101
Johnson County
FIPS 19103
Jones County
FIPS 19105
Keokuk County
FIPS 19107
Kossuth County
FIPS 19109
Lee County
FIPS 19111
Linn County
FIPS 19113
Louisa County
FIPS 19115
Lucas County
FIPS 19117
Lyon County
FIPS 19119
Madison County
FIPS 19121
Mahaska County
FIPS 19123
Marion County
FIPS 19125
Marshall County
FIPS 19127
Mills County
FIPS 19129
Mitchell County
FIPS 19131
Monona County
FIPS 19133
Monroe County
FIPS 19135
Montgomery County
FIPS 19137
Muscatine County
FIPS 19139
O'Brien County
FIPS 19141
Osceola County
FIPS 19143
Page County
FIPS 19145
Palo Alto County
FIPS 19147
Plymouth County
FIPS 19149
Pocahontas County
FIPS 19151
Polk County
FIPS 19153
Pottawattamie County
FIPS 19155
Poweshiek County
FIPS 19157
Ringgold County
FIPS 19159
Sac County
FIPS 19161
Scott County
FIPS 19163
Shelby County
FIPS 19165
Sioux County
FIPS 19167
Story County
FIPS 19169
Tama County
FIPS 19171
Taylor County
FIPS 19173
Union County
FIPS 19175
Van Buren County
FIPS 19177
Wapello County
FIPS 19179
Warren County
FIPS 19181
Washington County
FIPS 19183
Wayne County
FIPS 19185
Webster County
FIPS 19187
Winnebago County
FIPS 19189
Winneshiek County
FIPS 19191
Woodbury County
FIPS 19193
Worth County
FIPS 19195
Wright County
FIPS 19197
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 6 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Iowa shows meaningful potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 4.31x concentration and 11,646 jobs in this sub-sector.
Cluster depth across animal production and aquaculture, machinery manufacturing, and food manufacturing creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2024
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
USAspending.govFY2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Iowa, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Iowa?
3,210,507 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Iowa?
$75,059 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Iowa?
3.2% (2024 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Iowa?
$265.8B (BEA SAGDP (state GDP)).
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