Mason City, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

27,050

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.5

1.16% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12%

13.7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$64,804

3.9% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$142,000

Population & Diversity

Mason City, IA is home to a population of 27.1k people, from which 97.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.3% of Mason City, IA residents were born outside of the country (892 people).

In 2024, there were 21.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (23k people) in Mason City, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.09k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 772 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.9%

2024 Citizenship

98.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.9% of Mason City, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mason City, IA was 98.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mason City, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
23k ± 194
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.09k ± 211
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
772 ± 218

7.01%

Hispanic Population

1.9k people

7.01% of the people in Mason City, IA are hispanic (1.9k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mason City, 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

3.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

892 people

2.48%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

673 people

As of 2024, 3.3% of Mason City, IA residents (892 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 Mason City, IA was 2.48%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
523 ± 136
Gulf War (2001-)
446 ± 136
Gulf War (1990s)
223 ± 112

Mason City, 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 Mason City, IA.

Economy

The economy of Mason City, IA employs 13.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mason City, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,332 people), Manufacturing (2,243 people), and Retail Trade (2,220 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($83,306), Information ($66,766), and Finance & Insurance ($65,083).

Employment

Occupations

13.7k

2024 Value

± 913

−3.88%

1 Year decline

± 9.54%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mason City, IA declined at a rate of −3.88%, from 14.3k employees to 13.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mason City, IA, are Sales & Related Occupations (1,693 people), Production Occupations (1,391 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,334 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mason City, 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

13.7k

2024 Value

± 913

−3.88%

1 Year decline

± 9.54%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mason City, IA declined at a rate of −3.88%, from 14.3k employees to 13.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mason City, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,332 people), Manufacturing (2,243 people), and Retail Trade (2,220 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mason City, IA, though some of these residents may live in Mason City, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,887

Median earning men ± $3,610

$34,821

Median earning women ± $2,134

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($69,063), Wholesale Trade ($65,833), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($64,531).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($73,750), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($54,074), and Manufacturing ($49,157).

Education

The student population of Mason City, IA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,204 male students and 1,514 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Mason City, IA are White (723 and 82.4%), Hispanic or Latino (90 and 10.3%), Black or African American (27 and 3.08%), and Two or More Races (27 and 3.08%).

The largest universities in Mason City, IA by number of degrees awarded are North Iowa Area Community College (845 and 94.7%) and La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology (47 and 5.27%).

The most popular majors in Mason City, IA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (323 and 36.2%), Nursing Assistant & Patient Care Assistant (132 and 14.8%), and Physical Education Teaching & Coaching (51 and 5.72%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $13,356 for in-state students and $13,356 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,718 students enrolled in Mason City, IA, 44.3% men and 55.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,229 records, of which 57.1% were women and 42.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
323 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
35 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
21 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Mason City, IA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 323 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

North Iowa Area Community College
845 degrees awarded
La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology
47 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was North Iowa Area Community College with 845 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 354 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Mason City, IA, which is 0.658 times less than the 538 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 723 degrees mean that there were 8.03 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 90 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

Public, 2-year ($5,798) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($855) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,420) 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 Mason City, IA was $142,000 in 2024, which is 0.427 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $130,000 to $142,000, a 9.23% increase. The homeownership rate in Mason City, IA is 65.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mason City, IA have an average commute time of 13.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mason City, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$142,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,529

$8,323

Median Property Taxes

±$653

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

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

Rent vs Own

65.5%

Homeownership

2024

60.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.5% of the housing units in Mason City, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 67.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mason City, 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.

$64,804

Median Household Income

± $3,257

12.7k

Number of Households

± 842

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.7k households in Mason City, IA grew to $64,804 from the previous year's value of $62,369.

The following chart displays the households in Mason City, 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 Mason City, 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 (81%)
Carpooled (8.63%)
Worked At Home (4.26%)

In 2024, 81% of workers in Mason City, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.63%) and those who worked at home (4.26%).

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

13.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mason City, IA have a shorter commute time (13.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.11% of the workforce in Mason City, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mason City, IA (3.16k out of 26.3k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Mason City, 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.

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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