Palo, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

1,438

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

5.53%

69.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$106,375

2.63% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$282,400

2.99% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

805

Population & Diversity

Palo, IA is home to a population of 1.44k people, from which 99.9% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.32% of Palo, IA residents were born outside of the country (19 people).

In 2024, there were 22.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.35k people) in Palo, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 60 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 16 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.9%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.9% of Palo, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Palo, IA was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Palo, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.35k ± 246
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
60 ± 52
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
16 ± 24

0.556%

Hispanic Population

8 people

0.556% of the people in Palo, IA are hispanic (8 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Palo, 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

1.32%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

19 people

1.62%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

19 people

As of 2024, 1.32% of Palo, IA residents (19 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, IA was 1.62%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
24 ± 26
Vietnam
14 ± 21
Gulf War (2001-)
9 ± 17

Palo, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.71 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Palo, IA employs 805 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Palo, IA were Manufacturing (131 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (130 people), and Retail Trade (98 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($92,083), Information ($90,375), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($82,083).

Employment

Occupations

805

2024 Value

± 120

20%

1 Year growth

± 18.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Palo, IA grew at a rate of 20%, from 671 employees to 805 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Palo, IA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (135 people), Management Occupations (85 people), and Production Occupations (74 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Palo, 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

805

2024 Value

± 120

20%

1 Year growth

± 18.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Palo, IA grew at a rate of 20%, from 671 employees to 805 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Palo, IA, are Manufacturing (131 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (130 people), and Retail Trade (98 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Palo, IA, though some of these residents may live in Palo, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$70,398

Median earning men ± $7,760

$47,692

Median earning women ± $7,144

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($122,000), Information ($91,375), and Construction ($80,278).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($88,333), Construction ($84,375), and Public Administration ($70,625).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Palo, IA was $282,400 in 2024, which is 0.849 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $274,200 to $282,400, a 2.99% increase. The homeownership rate in Palo, IA is 97.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Palo, IA have an average commute time of 28.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Palo, IA is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$282,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,135

$464

Median Property Taxes

±$89

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

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

Rent vs Own

97.5%

Homeownership

2024

70.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 97.5% of the housing units in Palo, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 95.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Palo, 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.

$106,375

Median Household Income

± $15,711

476

Number of Households

± 94

In 2024, the median household income of the 476 households in Palo, IA grew to $106,375 from the previous year's value of $103,646.

The following chart displays the households in Palo, 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, 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 (79.5%)
Worked At Home (14.6%)
Carpooled (3.77%)

In 2024, 79.5% of workers in Palo, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.6%) and those who carpooled to work (3.77%).

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

28.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Palo, IA have a longer commute time (28.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.01% of the workforce in Palo, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Palo, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Palo, IA have 3 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

5.53% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Palo, IA (79 out of 1.43k 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 Males < 5, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Males 6 - 11.

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