Official Federal Data
Story County, Iowa
FIPS 19169 · Ames, IA · Population 100,466
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$69,685 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.9% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$7.8B ▲
GDP
54.8% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
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
$69,685 ▲
Per Capita
$38,610 ▲
Mean Household
$96,851 ▲
Poverty Rate
18.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Story County$69,685
Iowa$75,059
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 16.2%
18-34 · 43.6%
35-54 · 18.2%
55-64 · 8.7%
65+ · 13.2%
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+
97.4%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +7.8 pts
54.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +19.1 pts
23.5%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +9.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
100,466
Population
57,486
Labor Force
Employed
54,672
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.9% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.8%
Key Takeaways
- Elevated poverty: At 18.2%, the rate is in economically distressed territory and supports federal funding narratives (CDFI, NMTC, EDA).
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 19.1 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
- Young population: Median age of 27 is materially below the U.S. norm, a workforce pipeline asset.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Retail Trade employs 5,163 workers (18.2% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $33,412.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $7.8B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $124,169 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $21,131, a 5.9x 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
3,638
Cluster Employment
6.72x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Printing and Related Support Activities
6.72x 699
Machinery Manufacturing
3.23x 1,061
Animal Production and Aquaculture
2.20x 179
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
1.87x 564
Chemical Manufacturing
1.67x 451
Crop Production
1.62x 258
Food Manufacturing
1.61x 863
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
1.55x 489
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.16x
Warehousing and Storage
89 employed
0.31x
Truck Transportation
137 employed
0.31x
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
246 employed
0.36x
Educational Services
357 employed
0.45x
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
77 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Printing and Related Support Activities concentrates at 6.72x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 8 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
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
$258,700 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,018 ▲
Rent/Mo
55.5% ▲
Owner-Occ
7.1% ▲
Vacancy
3.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$972/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,026/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,153/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,601/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,934/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,742/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,742/mo).
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
70,915 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 9 min below national avg
17.8 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
11.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
87.4%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
54.8% ▲
HS Diploma+
97.4% ▲
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
12.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
46.8%
Service
18%
Sales & Office
18.1%
Construction / Maint.
6.8%
Production / Transport
10.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 54,672 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Short commutes: 17.8-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- 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
Story County shows strong potential for printing and related support activities attraction, with a 6.72x concentration and 699 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across printing and related support activities, machinery manufacturing, and animal production and aquaculture creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, 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
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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 Story County, Iowa, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Story County, Iowa?
100,466 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Story County, Iowa?
$69,685 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Story County, Iowa?
2.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Story County, Iowa?
$7.8B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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