Spencer, IA

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population
16,446
0.14% 1-year growth
US Senator
Chuck Grassley
Republican Party
US Senator
Joni Ernst
Republican Party
2023 Median Age
41.8
0.723% 1-year increase
2023 Poverty Rate
11.5%
0.0136% 1-year increase
2023 Median Household Income
$64,082
3.77% 1-year growth
2023 Median Property Value
$171,500
13.3% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
8,237
2.17% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Spencer, IA had a population of 16.4k people with a median age of 41.8 and a median household income of $64,082. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Spencer, IA grew from 16,423 to 16,446, a 0.14% increase and its median household income grew from $61,756 to $64,082, a 3.77% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Spencer, IA are White (Non-Hispanic) (91.7%), White (Hispanic) (2.84%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (1.88%), Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) (1.4%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (0.547%).

None of the households in Spencer, 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.

99.4% of the residents in Spencer, IA are U.S. citizens.

In 2023, the median property value in Spencer, IA was $171,500, and the homeownership rate was 72.7%.

Most people in Spencer, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Spencer, IA was 2 cars per household.

Spencer, IA borders Spirit Lake, IA and Storm Lake, IA.

United StatesIowa

Population & Diversity

Spencer, IA is home to a population of 16.4k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.03% of Spencer, IA residents were born outside of the country (169 people).

In 2023, there were 32.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.1k people) in Spencer, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 467 White (Hispanic) and 309 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%
2023 Citizenship
99.5%
2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.4% of Spencer, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Spencer, IA was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Spencer, 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 Spencer, IA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    15.1k ± 51
  2. White (Hispanic)
    467 ± 146
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    309 ± 90
4.52%
Hispanic Population
743 people

In 2023, there were 32.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.1k people) in Spencer, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 467 White (Hispanic) and 309 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

4.52% of the people in Spencer, IA are hispanic (743 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Spencer, IA as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Iowa.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    42,808 ± 5,046 people
  2. India
    12,283 ± 2,716 people
  3. China
    7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.03%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
169 people
1%
2022 Foreign-Born Population
165 people

As of 2023, 1.03% of Spencer, IA residents (169 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Spencer, IA was 1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    431 ± 112
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    169 ± 87
  3. Korea
    119 ± 64

Spencer, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.55 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of Spencer, IA employs 8.24k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Spencer, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,265 people), Retail Trade (1,185 people), and Manufacturing (928 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($70,652), Utilities ($67,417), and Wholesale Trade ($63,750).

Employment

Occupations

8.24k
2023 Value
± 598
−2.17%
1 Year decline
± 10.6%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Spencer, IA declined at a rate of −2.17%, from 8.42k employees to 8.24k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Spencer, IA, are Management Occupations (978 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (859 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (803 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Spencer, 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

8.24k
2023 Value
± 598
−2.17%
1 Year decline
± 10.6%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Spencer, IA declined at a rate of −2.17%, from 8.42k employees to 8.24k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Spencer, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,265 people), Retail Trade (1,185 people), and Manufacturing (928 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Spencer, IA, though some of these residents may live in Spencer, 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

$49,211
Median earning men ± $2,509
$37,106
Median earning women ± $2,718

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($74,205), Information ($73,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,697).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Wholesale Trade ($52,917), Public Administration ($50,250), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($45,189).

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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. 42
    Construction
  2. 40
    Retail Trade
  3. 32
    Retail Trade

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. $82.9k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $42.2k
    Retail Trade
  3. $38.5k
    Wholesale 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 Spencer, 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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US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Iowa

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Iowa have changed over time starting in 2008.

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Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
Measure

In 2023, 0.708% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.723% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (748k), Some college (554k), and Bachelors Degree (481k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Spencer, IA was $171,500 in 2023, which is 0.565 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $151,400 to $171,500, a 13.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Spencer, IA is 72.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Spencer, IA have an average commute time of 19.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Spencer, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$171,500
Median Property Value 2023
±$12,468
$5,270
Median Property Taxes
±$431

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

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

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Rent vs Own

72.7%
Homeownership
2023
62.2%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

In 2023, 72.7% of the housing units in Spencer, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Spencer, 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.
$64,082
Median Household Income
± $6,067
7.25k
Number of Households
± 581

In 2023, the median household income of the 7.25k households in Spencer, IA grew to $64,082 from the previous year's value of $61,756.

The following chart displays the households in Spencer, 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 Spencer, IA is from Iowa.
0.441
2023 Wage GINI in Iowa
0.442
2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 2023
  1. Drove Alone (78.9%)
  2. Carpooled (8.85%)
  3. Worked At Home (6.46%)

In 2023, 78.9% of workers in Spencer, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.85%) and those who worked at home (6.46%).

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

19.1 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Spencer, IA have a shorter commute time (19.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.65% of the workforce in Spencer, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Spencer, IA (1.85k out of 16.1k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Spencer, 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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Health

95.4% of the population of Spencer, IA has health coverage, with 45.9% on employee plans, 20.5% on Medicaid, 16.9% on Medicare, 11.1% on non-group plans, and 1.11% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 2.06% increase from the previous year (1,357 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 503 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
1,385 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Iowa

Primary care physicians in Iowa see an average of 1,385 patients per year. This represents a 2.06% increase from the previous year (1,357 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.5% under 18 years, 17.3% between 18 and 34 years, 37% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.6% were men and 50.4% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

4.57%
Uninsured
45.9%
Employer Coverage
20.5%
Medicaid
16.9%
Medicare
11.1%
Non-Group
1.11%
Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Spencer, IA declined by 1.33% from 4.63% to 4.57%.

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

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