How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 3.24 million people living in Iowa. That makes Iowa the 32nd-most populous state, home to 0.95% of people living in the US.

3.24M

population of Iowa (2025)

0.95%

Iowa share of the US population (2025)
The population of Iowa was about 1.5 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of Iowa grew by about 7,900 people.

About 3.24 million people lived in Iowa in 2025. That's about 1.5 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are Iowa's age demographics?

About 612,400 Iowa residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18.9% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 730,600 Iowa residents, or 22.5% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A higher share of Iowa's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are Iowa's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 82.4% of Iowa’s population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Iowa also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (0.3%) than the US overall (0.2%).
In contrast, Iowa’s non-Hispanic Black or African American population accounted for 4.5%, below the 12.6% share nationwide. The Hispanic population makes up 7.9% of the state, compared with 20% nationally.

A higher share of Iowa's population is non-Hispanic white than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are Iowa's most populous counties?

In 2024, nine out of 99 counties accounted for over half of Iowa's population:
  • Polk County, 516,200 (16% of the population)
  • Linn County, 231,800 (7.2%)
  • Scott County, 175,600 (5.4%)
  • Johnson County, 160,100 (5%)
  • Black Hawk County, 132,300 (4.1%)
  • Dallas County, 115,300 (3.6%)
  • Woodbury County, 107,300 (3.3%)
  • Story County, 102,500 (3.2%)
  • Dubuque County, 99,200 (3.1%)

In 2024, Polk County was the most populous county in Iowa.

Population estimates

What are Iowa's most populous cities?

The largest city in Iowa is Des Moines with about 213,100 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in Iowa ranked by population

Cities and counties in Iowa ranked by population
1.

Des Moines

213,096
2.

Cedar Rapids

137,904
3.

Davenport 

100,938
4.

Sioux City

86,875
5.

Ankeny 

76,727
6.

Iowa City

76,710
7.

West Des Moines

73,664
8.

Ames 

69,026
9.

Waterloo 

67,477
10.

Council Bluffs

62,665

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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.