Oelwein, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

5,834

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

42.4

3.64% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

18.5%

8.28% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$46,653

6.36% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$96,300

Population & Diversity

Oelwein, IA is home to a population of 5.83k people, from which 100% are citizens.

As of 2024, 0.6% of Oelwein, IA residents were born outside of the country (35 people).

In 2024, there were 23.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.34k people) in Oelwein, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 226 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 85 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2024 Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Oelwein, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Oelwein, IA was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Oelwein, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.34k ± 133
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
226 ± 84
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
85 ± 69

1.34%

Hispanic Population

78 people

1.34% of the people in Oelwein, IA are hispanic (78 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Oelwein, 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

0.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

35 people

0.51%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

30 people

As of 2024, 0.6% of Oelwein, IA residents (35 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 Oelwein, IA was 0.51%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
178 ± 69
Gulf War (2001-)
155 ± 77
Gulf War (1990s)
75 ± 50

Oelwein, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.15 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Oelwein, IA employs 2.27k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Oelwein, IA were Manufacturing (682 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (333 people), and Educational Services (227 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($61,406), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,316), and Public Administration ($58,281).

Employment

Occupations

2.27k

2024 Value

± 306

−2.62%

1 Year decline

± 20%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Oelwein, IA declined at a rate of −2.62%, from 2.33k employees to 2.27k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Oelwein, IA, are Production Occupations (395 people), Material Moving Occupations (235 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (220 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Oelwein, 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

2.27k

2024 Value

± 306

−2.62%

1 Year decline

± 20%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Oelwein, IA declined at a rate of −2.62%, from 2.33k employees to 2.27k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Oelwein, IA, are Manufacturing (682 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (333 people), and Educational Services (227 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Oelwein, IA, though some of these residents may live in Oelwein, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,776

Median earning men ± $10,091

$39,085

Median earning women ± $6,046

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($58,281), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($56,679), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,972).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($52,917), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,871), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($38,068).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Oelwein, IA was $96,300 in 2024, which is 0.289 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $96,800 to $96,300, a 0.517% decrease. The homeownership rate in Oelwein, IA is 76.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Oelwein, IA have an average commute time of 22.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Oelwein, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$96,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,912

$1,998

Median Property Taxes

±$272

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 Oelwein, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

76.6%

Homeownership

2024

60.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.6% of the housing units in Oelwein, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Oelwein, 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.

$46,653

Median Household Income

± $10,232

2.61k

Number of Households

± 329

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.61k households in Oelwein, IA declined from $46,653 from the previous year's value of $49,821.

The following chart displays the households in Oelwein, 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 Oelwein, 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 (77.9%)
Carpooled (10.6%)
Worked At Home (5.28%)

In 2024, 77.9% of workers in Oelwein, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.6%) and those who worked at home (5.28%).

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

22.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Oelwein, IA have a shorter commute time (22.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.55% of the workforce in Oelwein, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

18.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Oelwein, IA (1.05k out of 5.68k 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 55 - 64, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females < 5.

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

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.

Keep Exploring