Official Federal Data
Lucas County, Iowa
FIPS 19117 · Population 8,716
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$61,793 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.8% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$362M ▲
GDP
15.8% ▼
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 8,716 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$61,793 ▲
Per Capita
$32,274 ▲
Mean Household
$75,764 ▲
Poverty Rate
14.9% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Lucas County$61,793
Iowa$75,059
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 23.5%
18-34 · 17.5%
35-54 · 22.1%
55-64 · 14.9%
65+ · 22%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
91.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.2 pts
15.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 19.9 pts
5.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 8.8 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
8,716
Population
4,165
Labor Force
Employed
3,950
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.8% ▲ +0.8 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.3%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Elevated poverty: At 14.9%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 19.9 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 42 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 344 workers (33.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $29,217.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $362M (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $62,920 while Information averages $22,691, a 2.8x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
110
Cluster Employment
3.31x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
3.31x 96
Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing
1.66x 14
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.33x
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
71 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing concentrates at 3.31x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$120,200 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$709 ▲
Rent/Mo
78.8% ▲
Owner-Occ
9% ▼
Vacancy
1.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$724/mo
1 Bedroom
$743/mo
2 Bedroom
$975/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,250/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,302/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,545/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 1.9x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 78.8% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,545/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
4,750 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.3%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.2%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
15.8% ▼
HS Diploma+
91.8% ▼
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
28,295/yr
9,271/yr
8,469/yr
4,028/yr
2,755/yr
2,365/yr
1,407/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
27.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
29.3%
Service
15.8%
Sales & Office
18.2%
Construction / Maint.
11.5%
Production / Transport
25.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 3,950 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 27.3% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 21,768 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Lucas County shows meaningful potential for fabricated metal product manufacturing attraction, with a 3.31x concentration and 96 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 27.3% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
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 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Lucas County, Iowa, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Lucas County, Iowa?
8,716 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Lucas County, Iowa?
$61,793 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lucas County, Iowa?
3.8% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Lucas County, Iowa?
$362M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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