Palo Alto County, IA

County

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2024 Population

8,863

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.9

0.964% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.6%

0.88% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$72,781

5.54% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$123,200

3.27% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

4,658

0.496% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Palo Alto 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.

99% of the residents in Palo Alto County, IA are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Palo Alto County, IA was $123,200, and the homeownership rate was 77.1%.

Most people in Palo Alto County, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Palo Alto County, IA was 2 cars per household.

Palo Alto County, IA borders Buena Vista County, IA, Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, and Pocahontas County, IA.

United States Iowa

Population & Diversity

Palo Alto County, IA is home to a population of 8.86k people, from which 99% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.46% of Palo Alto County, IA residents were born outside of the country (218 people).

In 2024, there were 53.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (8.09k people) in Palo Alto County, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 151 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 149 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

99%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Palo Alto County, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Palo Alto County, IA was 99%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Palo Alto County, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
8.09k ± 93
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
151 ± 50
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
149 ± 45

3.51%

Hispanic Population

311 people

3.51% of the people in Palo Alto County, IA are hispanic (311 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Palo Alto 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
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

2.46%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

218 people

2.24%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

199 people

As of 2024, 2.46% of Palo Alto County, IA residents (218 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 Palo Alto County, IA was 2.24%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
217 ± 74
Gulf War (1990s)
66 ± 35
Korea
59 ± 45

Palo Alto County, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.29 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Palo Alto County, IA employs 4.66k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Palo Alto County, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (670 people), Manufacturing (612 people), and Retail Trade (607 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($83,750), Finance & Insurance ($73,864), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,964).

Employment

Occupations

4.66k

2024 Value

± 332

0.496%

1 Year growth

± 10%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Palo Alto County, IA grew at a rate of 0.496%, from 4.64k employees to 4.66k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Palo Alto County, IA, are Management Occupations (785 people), Sales & Related Occupations (487 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (472 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Palo Alto 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

4.66k

2024 Value

± 332

0.496%

1 Year growth

± 10%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Palo Alto County, IA grew at a rate of 0.496%, from 4.64k employees to 4.66k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Palo Alto County, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (670 people), Manufacturing (612 people), and Retail Trade (607 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Palo Alto County, IA, though some of these residents may live in Palo Alto County, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,545

Median earning men ± $6,957

$36,053

Median earning women ± $3,919

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($122,679), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($81,167), and Public Administration ($71,071).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,310), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($53,508), and Information ($52,708).

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

22
Other Services (except Public Administration)
21
Transportation and Warehousing
21
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

$38.4k
Manufacturing
$26.7k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$9.89k
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 Palo Alto 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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Palo Alto County, IA was $123,200 in 2024, which is 0.37 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $119,300 to $123,200, a 3.27% increase. The homeownership rate in Palo Alto County, IA is 77.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Palo Alto County, IA have an average commute time of 17.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Palo Alto County, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 7.19% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Palo Alto County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.61%.

Housing

Property

$123,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,218

$2,915

Median Property Taxes

±$228

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

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

Rent vs Own

77.1%

Homeownership

2024

62.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.1% of the housing units in Palo Alto County, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 75.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Palo Alto 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.

$72,781

Median Household Income

± $7,482

3.78k

Number of Households

± 293

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.78k households in Palo Alto County, IA grew to $72,781 from the previous year's value of $68,963.

The following chart displays the households in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto County, 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 (77.4%)
Carpooled (10.3%)
Walked (5.05%)

In 2024, 77.4% of workers in Palo Alto County, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.3%) and those who walked to work (5.05%).

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

17.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Palo Alto County, IA have a shorter commute time (17.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.84% of the workforce in Palo Alto County, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 7.19% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Palo Alto County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.61%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

11.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Palo Alto County, IA (989 out of 8.52k 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 45 - 54, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Males 16 - 17.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Palo Alto County, 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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13.4% of the children was living in poverty in Palo Alto County, IA. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.6%.

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 291 in Palo Alto County, IA. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 145 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.2% of the population of Palo Alto County, IA has health coverage, with 43.8% on employee plans, 18.8% on Medicaid, 15.6% on Medicare, 15.6% on non-group plans, and 1.46% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Palo Alto County, IA see 2,226 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,226 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4382 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 801 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.8% were men and 49.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,226 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Palo Alto County, IA

Primary care physicians in Palo Alto County, IA see an average of 2,226 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,226 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.6% under 18 years, 18.8% between 18 and 34 years, 35.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.8% were men and 49.2% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.78%

Uninsured

43.8%

Employer Coverage

18.8%

Medicaid

15.6%

Medicare

15.6%

Non-Group

1.46%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Palo Alto County, IA declined by 4.49% from 5% to 4.78%.

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