Rock Rapids, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

2,661

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

2.61% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

6.52%

11% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$63,942

3.67% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$206,700

Population & Diversity

Rock Rapids, IA is home to a population of 2.66k people, from which 97% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.27% of Rock Rapids, IA residents were born outside of the country (87 people).

In 2024, there were 13.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.33k people) in Rock Rapids, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 171 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 66 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97%

2024 Citizenship

97.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97% of Rock Rapids, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Rock Rapids, IA was 97.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Rock Rapids, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.33k ± 109
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
171 ± 117
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
66 ± 43

8.42%

Hispanic Population

224 people

8.42% of the people in Rock Rapids, IA are hispanic (224 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Rock Rapids, 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

3.27%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

87 people

2.79%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

74 people

As of 2024, 3.27% of Rock Rapids, IA residents (87 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 Rock Rapids, IA was 2.79%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
40 ± 28
Gulf War (1990s)
29 ± 33
Korea
12 ± 14

Rock Rapids, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.38 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Rock Rapids, IA employs 1.19k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Rock Rapids, IA were Retail Trade (181 people), Manufacturing (180 people), and Educational Services (152 people), and the highest paying industries were Finance & Insurance ($104,643), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($103,750), and Construction ($65,250).

Employment

Occupations

1.19k

2024 Value

± 178

−3.4%

1 Year decline

± 21.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rock Rapids, IA declined at a rate of −3.4%, from 1.24k employees to 1.19k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rock Rapids, IA, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (156 people), Management Occupations (122 people), and Transportation Occupations (107 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rock Rapids, 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

1.19k

2024 Value

± 178

−3.4%

1 Year decline

± 21.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rock Rapids, IA declined at a rate of −3.4%, from 1.24k employees to 1.19k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rock Rapids, IA, are Retail Trade (181 people), Manufacturing (180 people), and Educational Services (152 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rock Rapids, IA, though some of these residents may live in Rock Rapids, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,700

Median earning men ± $7,974

$38,415

Median earning women ± $5,686

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($192,885), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($62,045), and Construction ($61,786).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($90,417), Wholesale Trade ($59,167), and Public Administration ($55,882).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Rock Rapids, IA was $206,700 in 2024, which is 0.621 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $207,700 to $206,700, a 0.481% decrease. The homeownership rate in Rock Rapids, IA is 71.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Rock Rapids, IA have an average commute time of 12.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Rock Rapids, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$206,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$13,905

$695

Median Property Taxes

±$116

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

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

Rent vs Own

71.3%

Homeownership

2024

60.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.3% of the housing units in Rock Rapids, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 75.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Rock Rapids, 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.

$63,942

Median Household Income

± $12,563

975

Number of Households

± 136

In 2024, the median household income of the 975 households in Rock Rapids, IA grew to $63,942 from the previous year's value of $61,679.

The following chart displays the households in Rock Rapids, 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 Rock Rapids, 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 (72.1%)
Worked At Home (12%)
Walked (6.73%)

In 2024, 72.1% of workers in Rock Rapids, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12%) and those who walked to work (6.73%).

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

12.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rock Rapids, IA have a shorter commute time (12.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.91% of the workforce in Rock Rapids, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

6.52% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rock Rapids, IA (167 out of 2.56k 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 75+, followed by Males 16 - 17 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Rock Rapids, 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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