West Branch, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

2,594

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.7

5.76% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

6.38%

42.3% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$92,209

4.91% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$216,100

Population & Diversity

West Branch, IA is home to a population of 2.59k people, from which 99.7% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1% of West Branch, IA residents were born outside of the country (26 people).

In 2024, there were 48.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.45k people) in West Branch, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 50 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 45 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

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

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Branch, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.45k ± 74
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
50 ± 43
White (Hispanic)
45 ± 66

3.66%

Hispanic Population

95 people

3.66% of the people in West Branch, IA are hispanic (95 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in West Branch, 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

2024 Foreign-Born Population

26 people

0.95%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

24 people

As of 2024, 1% of West Branch, IA residents (26 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 West Branch, IA was 0.95%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
92 ± 48
Vietnam
31 ± 30
Gulf War (1990s)
27 ± 25

West Branch, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.97 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of West Branch, IA employs 1.47k people. In 2024, the largest industries in West Branch, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (326 people), Educational Services (193 people), and Manufacturing (129 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($78,750), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($71,193), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,881).

Employment

Occupations

1.47k

2024 Value

± 215

4.69%

1 Year growth

± 19.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Branch, IA grew at a rate of 4.69%, from 1.41k employees to 1.47k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Branch, IA, are Sales & Related Occupations (201 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (196 people), and Installation, Maintenance, & Repair Occupations (136 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Branch, 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

1.47k

2024 Value

± 215

4.69%

1 Year growth

± 19.7%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Branch, IA grew at a rate of 4.69%, from 1.41k employees to 1.47k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Branch, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (326 people), Educational Services (193 people), and Manufacturing (129 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Branch, IA, though some of these residents may live in West Branch, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,429

Median earning men ± $5,335

$46,786

Median earning women ± $7,659

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($71,000), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,938), and Manufacturing ($66,786).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($58,000), Retail Trade ($28,725), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($16,648).

Housing & Living

The median property value in West Branch, IA was $216,100 in 2024, which is 0.65 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $226,700 to $216,100, a 4.68% decrease. The homeownership rate in West Branch, IA is 82.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in West Branch, IA have an average commute time of 23.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in West Branch, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$216,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$30,320

$855

Median Property Taxes

±$147

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

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

Rent vs Own

82.2%

Homeownership

2024

59.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 82.2% of the housing units in West Branch, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in West Branch, 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.

$92,209

Median Household Income

± $6,464

1.04k

Number of Households

± 165

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.04k households in West Branch, IA grew to $92,209 from the previous year's value of $87,891.

The following chart displays the households in West Branch, 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 West Branch, 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 (82.5%)
Worked At Home (11.4%)
Carpooled (4.15%)

In 2024, 82.5% of workers in West Branch, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.4%) and those who carpooled to work (4.15%).

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

23.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Branch, IA have a shorter commute time (23.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.76% of the workforce in West Branch, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

6.38% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Branch, IA (162 out of 2.54k 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 18 - 24, followed by Males < 5 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Branch, 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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