West Liberty, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

3,776

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

1.16% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.3%

46.8% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$69,345

4.86% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$180,000

Population & Diversity

West Liberty, IA is home to a population of 3.78k people, from which 87.4% are citizens.

As of 2024, 21.6% of West Liberty, IA residents were born outside of the country (816 people).

In 2024, there were 1.64 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.67k people) in West Liberty, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.02k Other (Hispanic) and 603 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

87.4%

2024 Citizenship

87.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 87.4% of West Liberty, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in West Liberty, IA was 87.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Liberty, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
1.67k ± 349
Other (Hispanic)
1.02k ± 395
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
603 ± 239

55.5%

Hispanic Population

2.1k people

55.5% of the people in West Liberty, IA are hispanic (2.1k people).

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

21.6%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

816 people

23.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

892 people

As of 2024, 21.6% of West Liberty, IA residents (816 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 Liberty, IA was 23.5%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
32 ± 34
Gulf War (1990s)
19 ± 33
Korea
4 ± 10

West Liberty, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.68 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of West Liberty, IA employs 2.23k people. In 2024, the largest industries in West Liberty, IA were Manufacturing (764 people), Educational Services (385 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (227 people), and the highest paying industries were Health Care & Social Assistance ($47,232), Manufacturing ($43,750), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($43,333).

Employment

Occupations

2.23k

2024 Value

± 345

9.97%

1 Year growth

± 19.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Liberty, IA grew at a rate of 9.97%, from 2.03k employees to 2.23k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Liberty, IA, are Production Occupations (572 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (303 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (232 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Liberty, 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

2.23k

2024 Value

± 345

9.97%

1 Year growth

± 19.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Liberty, IA grew at a rate of 9.97%, from 2.03k employees to 2.23k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Liberty, IA, are Manufacturing (764 people), Educational Services (385 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (227 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Liberty, IA, though some of these residents may live in West Liberty, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,360

Median earning men ± $4,365

$39,290

Median earning women ± $5,673

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($75,833), Manufacturing ($50,269), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($44,444).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,268), Manufacturing ($40,761), and Retail Trade ($20,352).

Housing & Living

The median property value in West Liberty, IA was $180,000 in 2024, which is 0.541 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $169,500 to $180,000, a 6.19% increase. The homeownership rate in West Liberty, IA is 76.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in West Liberty, IA have an average commute time of 16.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in West Liberty, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$180,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,616

$1,043

Median Property Taxes

±$213

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

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

Rent vs Own

76.7%

Homeownership

2024

68%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.7% of the housing units in West Liberty, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.3%.

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

$69,345

Median Household Income

± $6,570

1.36k

Number of Households

± 261

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.36k households in West Liberty, IA grew to $69,345 from the previous year's value of $66,132.

The following chart displays the households in West Liberty, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for West Liberty, 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 (74.4%)
Carpooled (20%)
Walked (3.04%)

In 2024, 74.4% of workers in West Liberty, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (20%) and those who walked to work (3.04%).

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

16.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Liberty, IA have a shorter commute time (16.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in West Liberty, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

11.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Liberty, IA (421 out of 3.73k 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 55 - 64, followed by Males 45 - 54 and then Males 16 - 17.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Liberty, IA is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

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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