Indianola, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

16,044

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.9

1.99% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

6.44%

15.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$75,453

3.42% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$237,500

Population & Diversity

Indianola, IA is home to a population of 16k people, from which 99.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.979% of Indianola, IA residents were born outside of the country (157 people).

In 2024, there were 38.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.7k people) in Indianola, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 384 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 181 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.9%

2024 Citizenship

99.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.9% of Indianola, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Indianola, IA was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Indianola, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
14.7k ± 316
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
384 ± 128
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
181 ± 112

2.86%

Hispanic Population

459 people

2.86% of the people in Indianola, IA are hispanic (459 people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
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.

Foreign-Born Population

0.979%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

157 people

2.08%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

331 people

As of 2024, 0.979% of Indianola, IA residents (157 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 Indianola, IA was 2.08%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
283 ± 110
Vietnam
196 ± 79
Gulf War (1990s)
89 ± 43

Indianola, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.44 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Indianola, IA employs 8.06k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Indianola, IA were Retail Trade (1,342 people), Educational Services (1,086 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,018 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($94,167), Wholesale Trade ($91,384), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($73,750).

Employment

Occupations

8.06k

2024 Value

± 582

4.17%

1 Year growth

± 9.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Indianola, IA grew at a rate of 4.17%, from 7.74k employees to 8.06k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Indianola, IA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (966 people), Sales & Related Occupations (847 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (739 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Indianola, 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

8.06k

2024 Value

± 582

4.17%

1 Year growth

± 9.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Indianola, IA grew at a rate of 4.17%, from 7.74k employees to 8.06k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Indianola, IA, are Retail Trade (1,342 people), Educational Services (1,086 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,018 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Indianola, IA, though some of these residents may live in Indianola, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,430

Median earning men ± $3,899

$36,157

Median earning women ± $2,797

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($91,830), Public Administration ($82,277), and Construction ($78,542).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($65,603), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,526), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($54,223).

Education

The student population of Indianola, IA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 627 male students and 624 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Indianola, IA are White (262 and 83.7%), Hispanic or Latino (21 and 6.71%), Two or More Races (15 and 4.79%), and Black or African American (7 and 2.24%).

The largest universities in Indianola, IA by number of degrees awarded are Simpson College (322 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Indianola, IA are General Business Administration & Management (29 and 9.01%), General Health & Wellness (25 and 7.76%), and Liberal Arts & Sciences (18 and 5.59%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $46,750.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Indianola, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 86.2%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 21.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 1,251 (50.1% men and 49.9% 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 2024 there were 1,251 students enrolled in Indianola, IA, 50.1% men and 49.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 904 records, of which 51.1% were women and 48.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
29 degrees awarded
General Health & Wellness
25 degrees awarded
Liberal Arts & Sciences
18 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Indianola, IA was General Business Administration & Management with 29 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Simpson College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

322 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Simpson College with 322 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 144 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Indianola, IA, which is 0.809 times less than the 178 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 262 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 21 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 ($46,750) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($906) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,134) 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 Indianola, IA was $237,500 in 2024, which is 0.714 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $228,100 to $237,500, a 4.12% increase. The homeownership rate in Indianola, IA is 69.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Indianola, IA have an average commute time of 21.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Indianola, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$237,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,590

$4,301

Median Property Taxes

±$368

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

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

Rent vs Own

69.9%

Homeownership

2024

60.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.9% of the housing units in Indianola, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 69.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Indianola, 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.

$75,453

Median Household Income

± $6,024

6.15k

Number of Households

± 489

In 2024, the median household income of the 6.15k households in Indianola, IA declined from $75,453 from the previous year's value of $78,125.

The following chart displays the households in Indianola, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Indianola, 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.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.3%)
Worked At Home (14.3%)
Walked (5.7%)

In 2024, 73.3% of workers in Indianola, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.3%) and those who walked to work (5.7%).

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

21.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Indianola, IA have a shorter commute time (21.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.12% of the workforce in Indianola, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

6.44% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Indianola, IA (945 out of 14.7k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Indianola, IA is White, followed by Hispanic and Black.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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