Buena Vista County, IA

County

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2024 Population

20,753

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.6

0.28% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

7.79%

5.46% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$71,719

7.74% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$159,500

8.58% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

10,317

0.477% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Buena Vista County, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

85.9% of the residents in Buena Vista County, IA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Buena Vista County, IA are Buena Vista University (689 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Buena Vista County, IA was $159,500, and the homeownership rate was 73.2%.

Most people in Buena Vista County, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14 minutes. The average car ownership in Buena Vista County, IA was 2 cars per household.

Buena Vista County, IA borders Calhoun County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Clay County, IA, Ida County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, and Sac County, IA.

United States Iowa Storm Lake, IA

Population & Diversity

Buena Vista County, IA is home to a population of 20.8k people, from which 85.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 21.3% of Buena Vista County, IA residents were born outside of the country (4.41k people).

In 2024, there were 4.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.8k people) in Buena Vista County, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 2.26k Other (Hispanic) and 2k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

85.9%

2024 Citizenship

86.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 85.9% of Buena Vista County, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Buena Vista County, IA was 86.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Buena Vista County, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Buena Vista County, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.8k ± 112
Other (Hispanic)
2.26k ± 607
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
2k ± 526

29.4%

Hispanic Population

6.09k people

29.4% of the people in Buena Vista County, IA are hispanic (6.09k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Buena Vista County, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
42,808 ± 5,046 people
India
12,283 ± 2,716 people
China
7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

Foreign-Born Population

21.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.41k people

21.6%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.46k people

As of 2024, 21.3% of Buena Vista County, IA residents (4.41k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Buena Vista County, IA was 21.6%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Buena Vista County, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
232 ± 66
Gulf War (2001-)
121 ± 56
Korea
99 ± 59

Buena Vista County, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.92 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Buena Vista County, IA.

Economy

The economy of Buena Vista County, IA employs 10.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Buena Vista County, IA were Manufacturing (3,340 people), Educational Services (1,207 people), and Retail Trade (1,184 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($87,404), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($65,948), and Wholesale Trade ($63,929).

Employment

Occupations

10.3k

2024 Value

± 679

0.477%

1 Year growth

± 8.83%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buena Vista County, IA grew at a rate of 0.477%, from 10.3k employees to 10.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buena Vista County, IA, are Production Occupations (2,392 people), Management Occupations (1,067 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (951 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Buena Vista County, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

10.3k

2024 Value

± 679

0.477%

1 Year growth

± 8.83%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buena Vista County, IA grew at a rate of 0.477%, from 10.3k employees to 10.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buena Vista County, IA, are Manufacturing (3,340 people), Educational Services (1,207 people), and Retail Trade (1,184 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Buena Vista County, IA, though some of these residents may live in Buena Vista County, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,630

Median earning men ± $1,755

$38,029

Median earning women ± $3,711

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($83,026), Wholesale Trade ($67,785), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($66,563).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($65,646), Public Administration ($61,875), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($45,476).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

45
Other Services (except Public Administration)
43
Construction
35
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$199k
Manufacturing
$57.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$28.7k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Buena Vista County, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Chuck Grassley

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 1981

Joni Ernst

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Buena Vista County, IA awarded 689 degrees. The student population of Buena Vista County, IA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 580 male students and 1,371 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Buena Vista County, IA are White (582 and 84.6%), Hispanic or Latino (44 and 6.4%), Unknown (19 and 2.76%), and Two or More Races (17 and 2.47%).

The largest universities in Buena Vista County, IA by number of degrees awarded are Buena Vista University (689 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Buena Vista County, IA are Elementary Education & Teaching (83 and 12%), Organizational Leadership (53 and 7.69%), and General Human Services (51 and 7.4%).

The median tuition cost in Buena Vista County, IA for private four year colleges is $40,190.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Buena Vista County, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 71.8%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 1,951 (29.7% men and 70.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 1,951 students enrolled in Buena Vista County, IA, 29.7% men and 70.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,575 records, of which 71.2% were women and 28.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Elementary Education & Teaching
83 degrees awarded
General Human Services
51 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
39 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Buena Vista County, IA was Elementary Education & Teaching with 83 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Buena Vista County, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Buena Vista University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

689 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Buena Vista University with 689 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 179 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Buena Vista County, IA, which is 0.351 times less than the 510 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 582 degrees mean that there were 13.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 44 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($40,190) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,126) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Buena Vista County, IA was $159,500 in 2024, which is 0.479 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $146,900 to $159,500, a 8.58% increase. The homeownership rate in Buena Vista County, IA is 73.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Buena Vista County, IA have an average commute time of 14 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Buena Vista County, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 11.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buena Vista County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.0407%.

Housing

Property

$159,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,332

$5,525

Median Property Taxes

±$465

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Buena Vista County, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Buena Vista County, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

73.2%

Homeownership

2024

62.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.2% of the housing units in Buena Vista County, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Buena Vista County, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$71,719

Median Household Income

± $7,936

7.55k

Number of Households

± 586

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.55k households in Buena Vista County, IA grew to $71,719 from the previous year's value of $66,564.

The following chart displays the households in Buena Vista County, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Buena Vista County, IA is from Iowa.

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.442

2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (72.5%)
Carpooled (16.4%)
Worked At Home (5.56%)

In 2024, 72.5% of workers in Buena Vista County, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (16.4%) and those who worked at home (5.56%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

14 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buena Vista County, IA have a shorter commute time (14 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.06% of the workforce in Buena Vista County, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Buena Vista County, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Buena Vista County, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Buena Vista County, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 11.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buena Vista County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.0407%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

7.79% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buena Vista County, IA (1.54k out of 19.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Buena Vista County, IA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 16.6% of the children was living in poverty in Buena Vista County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 311 in Buena Vista County, IA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 35.3 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

93.8% of the population of Buena Vista County, IA has health coverage, with 49.5% on employee plans, 18.8% on Medicaid, 11.5% on Medicare, 12.6% on non-group plans, and 1.38% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Buena Vista County, IA see 1,888 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,888 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1585 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1285 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,888 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Buena Vista County, IA

Primary care physicians in Buena Vista County, IA see an average of 1,888 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,888 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Buena Vista County, IA in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 28.7% under 18 years, 20.7% between 18 and 34 years, 35.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.9% were men and 49.1% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

6.24%

Uninsured

49.5%

Employer Coverage

18.8%

Medicaid

11.5%

Medicare

12.6%

Non-Group

1.38%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Buena Vista County, IA declined by 3.85% from 6.49% to 6.24%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Buena Vista County, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 58.4 in Buena Vista County, IA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Buena Vista County, IA.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41% in Buena Vista County, IA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Buena Vista County, IA.