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.

    United StatesIowa

    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.

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    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Palo Alto County, IA
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      8.09k ± 93
    2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
      151 ± 50
    3. Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
      149 ± 45
    3.51%
    Hispanic Population
    311 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.

    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.

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the County 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

    2.46%
    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.

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    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      217 ± 74
    2. Gulf War (1990s)
      66 ± 35
    3. 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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    Health Indicators

    Health Outcomes

    Indicator

    In 2025, the average number of mentally unhealthy days reported in past 30 days (age-adjusted) was 4.8 in Palo Alto County, IA.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Palo Alto County, IA.

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    Health Behaviors

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.6% in Palo Alto County, IA.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Palo Alto County, IA.

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    Clinical Care

    Indicator

    In 2025, the percentage of population under age 65 without health insurance was 5.06% in Palo Alto County, IA.

    The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Palo Alto County, IA.

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    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.

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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

    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.

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    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).

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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. 22
      Other Services (except Public Administration)
    2. 21
      Transportation and Warehousing
    3. 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.

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    Payroll by Industry Sector

    The industries with the highest total annual payroll
    1. $38.4k
      Manufacturing
    2. $26.7k
      Health Care and Social Assistance
    3. $9.89k
      Retail Trade

    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 Palo Alto County, 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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    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.

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    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.

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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.
    $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.

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    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.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (77.4%)
    2. Carpooled (10.3%)
    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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