Fort Dodge, IA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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    2024 Population
    36,886
    US Senator
    Chuck Grassley
    Republican Party
    US Senator
    Joni Ernst
    Republican Party
    2024 Median Age
    39.7
    0.251% 1-year decrease
    2024 Poverty Rate
    12.9%
    9.66% 1-year increase
    2024 Median Household Income
    $68,975
    1.35% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $153,800
    11% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    17,868
    1.48% 1-year growth

    About

    None of the households in Fort Dodge, 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.

    97.5% of the residents in Fort Dodge, IA are U.S. citizens.

    The largest universities in Fort Dodge, IA are Iowa Central Community College (1,171 degrees awarded in 2024) and La James International College-Ft Dodge (19 degrees).

    In 2024, the median property value in Fort Dodge, IA was $153,800, and the homeownership rate was 70.3%.

    Most people in Fort Dodge, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Fort Dodge, IA was 2 cars per household.

    Fort Dodge, IA borders Boone, IA.

    United StatesIowa

    Population & Diversity

    Fort Dodge, IA is home to a population of 36.9k people, from which 97.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.98% of Fort Dodge, IA residents were born outside of the country (1.1k people).

    In 2024, there were 22.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.9k people) in Fort Dodge, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.36k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 1.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    97.5%
    2024 Citizenship
    97.3%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 97.5% of Fort Dodge, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Fort Dodge, IA was 97.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

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    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Fort Dodge, IA
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      30.9k ± 163
    2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
      1.36k ± 252
    3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
      1.2k ± 225
    6.61%
    Hispanic Population
    2.44k people

    In 2024, there were 22.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (30.9k people) in Fort Dodge, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.36k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 1.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    6.61% of the people in Fort Dodge, IA are hispanic (2.44k people).

    The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Fort Dodge, IA as a share of the total population.

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Iowa.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      44,333 ± 5,134 people
    2. India
      11,889 ± 2,672 people
    3. Guatemala
      8,189 ± 2,219 people

    In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    2.98%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    1.1k people
    3.24%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    1.19k people

    As of 2024, 2.98% of Fort Dodge, IA residents (1.1k 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 Fort Dodge, IA was 3.24%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

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    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      494 ± 109
    2. Gulf War (2001-)
      304 ± 117
    3. Gulf War (1990s)
      249 ± 88

    Fort Dodge, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.63 times greater than any other conflict.

    The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Fort Dodge, IA.

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    Health

    93.7% of the population of Fort Dodge, IA has health coverage, with 47.4% on employee plans, 20.6% on Medicaid, 14.9% on Medicare, 9.5% on non-group plans, and 1.18% on military or VA plans.

    Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 466 patients per year.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.

    Coverage

    Patient to Clinician Ratios

    Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
    1,385 to 1
    Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Iowa

    Primary care physicians in Iowa see an average of 1,385 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients).

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

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    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.1% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 35.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.3% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.

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

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    Uninsured People

    6.33%
    Uninsured
    47.4%
    Employer Coverage
    20.6%
    Medicaid
    14.9%
    Medicare
    9.5%
    Non-Group
    1.18%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Fort Dodge, IA declined by 15.3% from 7.47% to 6.33%.

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

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    Economy

    The economy of Fort Dodge, IA employs 17.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Fort Dodge, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,994 people), Manufacturing (2,935 people), and Retail Trade (2,005 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($77,928), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($71,250), and Wholesale Trade ($70,000).

    Employment

    Occupations

    17.9k
    2024 Value
    ± 895
    1.48%
    1 Year growth
    ± 6.97%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Dodge, IA grew at a rate of 1.48%, from 17.6k employees to 17.9k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Fort Dodge, IA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,780 people), Sales & Related Occupations (1,626 people), and Management Occupations (1,618 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Fort Dodge, IA.

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    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.

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    Industries

    Employment by Industries

    17.9k
    2024 Value
    ± 895
    1.48%
    1 Year growth
    ± 6.97%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Fort Dodge, IA grew at a rate of 1.48%, from 17.6k employees to 17.9k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Fort Dodge, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,994 people), Manufacturing (2,935 people), and Retail Trade (2,005 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Fort Dodge, IA, though some of these residents may live in Fort Dodge, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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    Median Earnings by Industry

    $53,485
    Median earning men ± $3,619
    $36,222
    Median earning women ± $2,195

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($121,804), Manufacturing ($70,281), and Wholesale Trade ($62,500).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($123,333), Manufacturing ($54,415), and Public Administration ($52,188).

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    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.

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    Establishments by Size

    The industries with the most establishments
    1. 76
      Other Services (except Public Administration)
    2. 67
      Construction
    3. 53
      Health Care and Social Assistance

    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.

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    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $141k
      Transportation and Warehousing
    2. $133k
      Manufacturing
    3. $119k
      Health Care and Social Assistance

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

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    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

    Voting results are not available for Fort Dodge, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.
    2024 Election Results
    1. Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
      Republican Party
    2. Kamala Harris (42.5%)
      Democratic Party
    3. 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.

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    Senator Elections

    US Senators from Iowa

    Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
    Chuck Grassley
    Senator from Iowa3
    Assumed office on January 3, 1981
    Joni Ernst
    Senator from Iowa2
    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.

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    Education

    In 2024, universities in Fort Dodge, IA awarded 1,190 degrees. The student population of Fort Dodge, IA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,228 male students and 2,743 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Fort Dodge, IA are White (769 and 66.2%), Hispanic or Latino (129 and 11.1%), Two or More Races (107 and 9.22%), and Black or African American (80 and 6.89%).

    The largest universities in Fort Dodge, IA by number of degrees awarded are Iowa Central Community College (1,171 and 98.4%) and La James International College-Ft Dodge (19 and 1.6%).

    The most popular majors in Fort Dodge, IA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (420 and 35.3%), Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (138 and 11.6%), and Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (92 and 7.73%).

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    In 2024 there were 4,971 students enrolled in Fort Dodge, IA, 44.8% men and 55.2% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,941 records, of which 60.9% were women and 39.1% men.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
      420 degrees awarded
    2. Registered Nursing
      80 degrees awarded
    3. Agricultural Business Operations
      32 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Fort Dodge, IA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 420 degrees awarded.

    This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Fort Dodge, IA according to their major.

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    Universities

    Gender
    Race
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    1. Iowa Central Community College
      1,171 degrees awarded
    2. La James International College-Ft Dodge
      19 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Iowa Central Community College with 1,171 degrees awarded.

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    Student Diversity

    In 2024, 496 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Fort Dodge, IA, which is 0.715 times less than the 694 female students who received degrees in the same year.

    In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 769 degrees mean that there were 5.96 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 129 degrees awarded.

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    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.

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    Tuition

    Average Net Price by Sector

    Public, 2-year ($5,040) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

    Public, 2-year ($456) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

    Public, 2-year ($1,460) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Fort Dodge, IA was $153,800 in 2024, which is 0.462 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $138,500 to $153,800, a 11% increase. The homeownership rate in Fort Dodge, IA is 70.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

    People in Fort Dodge, IA have an average commute time of 20.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Fort Dodge, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    Housing

    Property

    $153,800
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$5,022
    $10,815
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$616

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

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

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    Rent vs Own

    70.3%
    Homeownership
    2024
    62.4%
    Homeowners with Mortgage
    2024

    In 2024, 70.3% of the housing units in Fort Dodge, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 70.1%.

    This chart shows the percentage of owner in Fort Dodge, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $68,975
    Median Household Income
    ± $4,434
    15.4k
    Number of Households
    ± 777

    In 2024, the median household income of the 15.4k households in Fort Dodge, IA grew to $68,975 from the previous year's value of $68,054.

    The following chart displays the households in Fort Dodge, 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.

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    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Fort Dodge, IA is from Iowa.
    0.435
    2024 Wage GINI in Iowa
    0.441
    2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

    In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (82.7%)
    2. Carpooled (7.49%)
    3. Worked At Home (4.62%)

    In 2024, 82.7% of workers in Fort Dodge, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.49%) and those who worked at home (4.62%).

    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.

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    Commute Time

    20.2 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Fort Dodge, IA have a shorter commute time (20.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.31% of the workforce in Fort Dodge, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

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

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    Poverty

    Poverty & Diversity

    12.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Fort Dodge, IA (4.38k out of 34.1k 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 Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 55 - 64.

    The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Fort Dodge, 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.

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