How many immigrants are in Iowa?
Data updated September 19, 2024
About 189K immigrants in 2023. This translates to approximately 5.9% of the population, or roughly 3 in 50 residents in Iowa. Immigrants are defined as foreign-born residents, which includes people who became US citizens, hold work or student visas, or are undocumented residents.
Showing data for
In 2023
189K
Iowa residents were foreign-born
In 2023
3 in 50
Iowa residents were foreign-born
The number of foreign-born residents in Iowa grew from 149K in 2013 to 189K in 2023. This increase occurred alongside changes in the native-born population due to births, deaths, and people moving. Analyzing the foreign-born share of the total population provides a better view of these demographics. In Iowa, the foreign-born share of the population was 5.9% in 2023, lower than the US overall at 14.3%, and up from 4.8% in the state since 2013.
In Iowa, 5.9% of the population was foreign-born in 2023.
Variations in immigrant populations illustrate a changing population landscape in both local areas and the nation as a whole. The largest immigration populations are concentrated in big metro areas. Metro areas in California, Texas, Florida, and parts of the Northeast typically have a higher share of residents that are foreign-born.
Subscribe to get unbiased, data-driven insights sent to your inbox weekly.
From 2018 to 2022, the metro areas (with data) in the US with the highest and lowest foreign-born population share were: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL at 41.5% foreign-born (highest) and Beckley, WV at 0.9% foreign-born (lowest). The highest and lowest among the metro areas in or connected to Iowa were: Sioux City, IA-NE-SD at 10.7% foreign-born (highest) and Dubuque, IA at 3.2% foreign-born (lowest).
On average, 8.3% of the population in metro areas was foreign-born from 2018 to 2022
Foreign-born share of the population
Average foreign-born share of the population from 2018 to 2022
| 1. | Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metro Area | 10.7% |
| 2. | Iowa City, IA Metro Area | 10.1% |
| 3. | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area | 8.3% |
| 4. | Ames, IA Metro Area | 7.3% |
| 5. | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Metro Area | 5.5% |
| 6. | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Metro Area | 5.2% |
| 7. | Cedar Rapids, IA Metro Area | 4.3% |
| 8. | Dubuque, IA Metro Area | 3.2% |
Change location to see this data for other areas
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
United States Census Bureau
American Community Survey (ACS)
