Story County, IA

County

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2024 Population

100,466

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

26.9

0.37% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.2%

1.92% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$69,685

0.984% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$258,700

6.2% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

54,672

3.93% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Story 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.

94.4% of the residents in Story County, IA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Story County, IA are Iowa State University (8,096 degrees awarded in 2023) and PCI Academy-Ames (104 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Story County, IA was $258,700, and the homeownership rate was 55.5%.

Most people in Story County, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Story County, IA was 2 cars per household.

Story County, IA borders Boone County, IA, Hamilton County, IA, Hardin County, IA, Jasper County, IA, Marshall County, IA, and Polk County, IA.

United States Iowa Ames, IA

Population & Diversity

Story County, IA is home to a population of 100k people, from which 94.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 8.58% of Story County, IA residents were born outside of the country (8.62k people).

In 2024, there were 12.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (81.4k people) in Story County, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.64k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 2.92k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.4%

2024 Citizenship

94.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.4% of Story County, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Story County, IA was 94.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Story County, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
81.4k ± 441
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
6.64k ± 487
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
2.92k ± 508

5.16%

Hispanic Population

5.18k people

5.16% of the people in Story County, IA are hispanic (5.18k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Story 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

8.58%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

8.62k people

8.29%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.18k people

As of 2024, 8.58% of Story County, IA residents (8.62k 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 Story County, IA was 8.29%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,074 ± 195
Gulf War (2001-)
919 ± 283
Gulf War (1990s)
364 ± 102

Story County, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.17 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Story County, IA employs 54.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Story County, IA were Educational Services (12,980 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (6,285 people), and Retail Trade (6,262 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($97,750), Utilities ($76,000), and Public Administration ($74,257).

Employment

Occupations

54.7k

2024 Value

± 1,711

3.93%

1 Year growth

± 4.28%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Story County, IA grew at a rate of 3.93%, from 52.6k employees to 54.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Story County, IA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (6,942 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,247 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,632 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Story 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

54.7k

2024 Value

± 1,711

3.93%

1 Year growth

± 4.28%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Story County, IA grew at a rate of 3.93%, from 52.6k employees to 54.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Story County, IA, are Educational Services (12,980 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (6,285 people), and Retail Trade (6,262 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Story County, IA, though some of these residents may live in Story County, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$44,188

Median earning men ± $2,879

$30,908

Median earning women ± $1,904

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($80,425), Wholesale Trade ($71,750), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,306).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($105,341), Public Administration ($70,907), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,615).

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

147
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
133
Other Services (except Public Administration)
124
Construction

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

$389k
Manufacturing
$345k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$155k
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 Story 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 Story County, IA awarded 8,200 degrees. The student population of Story County, IA in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 16,462 male students and 13,885 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Story County, IA are White (6,115 and 80.8%), Hispanic or Latino (488 and 6.45%), Unknown (290 and 3.83%), and Asian (264 and 3.49%).

The largest universities in Story County, IA by number of degrees awarded are Iowa State University (8,096 and 98.7%) and PCI Academy-Ames (104 and 1.27%).

The most popular majors in Story County, IA are Mechanical Engineering (356 and 4.34%), General Marketing & Marketing Management (331 and 4.04%), and Information Technology (299 and 3.65%).

The median tuition cost in Story County, IA for a public four year colleges is $8,982 for in-state students and $26,168 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Story County, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 89.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 28.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 30,347 (54.2% men and 45.8% 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 30,347 students enrolled in Story County, IA, 54.2% men and 45.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 21,658 records, of which 46.5% were women and 53.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Mechanical Engineering
356 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
331 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
250 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Story County, IA was Mechanical Engineering with 356 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Iowa State University
8,096 degrees awarded
PCI Academy-Ames
104 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Iowa State University with 8,096 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 4,244 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Story County, IA, which is 1.07 times more than the 3,956 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 6,115 degrees mean that there were 12.5 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 488 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

Public, 4-year or above ($8,982) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,515) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,091) 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 Story County, IA was $258,700 in 2024, which is 0.778 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $243,600 to $258,700, a 6.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Story County, IA is 55.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Story County, IA have an average commute time of 17.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Story County, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Story County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.683%.

Housing

Property

$258,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,356

$21,599

Median Property Taxes

±$918

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 Story County, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

55.5%

Homeownership

2024

65.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 55.5% of the housing units in Story County, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 56%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Story 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.

$69,685

Median Household Income

± $2,902

38.9k

Number of Households

± 1,400

In 2024, the median household income of the 38.9k households in Story County, IA grew to $69,685 from the previous year's value of $69,006.

The following chart displays the households in Story 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 Story 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 (68.3%)
Worked At Home (11.8%)
Walked (7.34%)

In 2024, 68.3% of workers in Story County, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.8%) and those who walked to work (7.34%).

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

17.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Story County, IA have a shorter commute time (17.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.21% of the workforce in Story County, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Story 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 Story County, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Story County, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Story County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.683%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

18.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Story County, IA (16k out of 87.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Story County, IA is White, followed by Asian 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, 9.2% of the children was living in poverty in Story County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.4%.

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 142 in Story County, IA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 137 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.8% of the population of Story County, IA has health coverage, with 64.1% on employee plans, 7.99% on Medicaid, 9.66% on Medicare, 12.9% on non-group plans, and 1.11% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Story County, IA see 1,554 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,554 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1954 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 378 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.4% were men and 47.6% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,554 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Story County, IA

Primary care physicians in Story County, IA see an average of 1,554 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,554 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.6% under 18 years, 39.5% between 18 and 34 years, 27% between 35 and 64 years, and 12.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.4% were men and 47.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.22%

Uninsured

64.1%

Employer Coverage

7.99%

Medicaid

9.66%

Medicare

12.9%

Non-Group

1.11%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Story County, IA declined by 7.2% from 4.55% to 4.22%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Story 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 34.5 in Story County, IA.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Story 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 35.5% in Story County, IA.

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