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Writer's pictureAslam Abdullah

Iowa: A Demographic and Electoral Profile

Updated: Sep 18




Located in the Midwestern United States, Iowa shares its borders with Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Iowa's population at the start of 2023 was an estimated 3,233,572, making Iowa the 31st most populated state in the U.S., though it is the 26th-largest state by total area. Iowa's population has grown by 6.15% since 2012, and the state currently contributes 0.96% of the total U.S. population.

Iowa is divided into 99 counties. The most populous of these, Polk County, is located near the center of the state and includes three of the state's top ten largest cities: Des Moines (217,343), which serves as the state's capital and was once designated as the Wealthiest City in America, as well as West Des Moine (72,356) and Ankeny (74,577). The "Hawkeye State's" population is sparse, with a density of 58 people per square mile (mi²), well below the national density of 96 people/mi². Low population density is typical in states with an agriculture-based economy, such as Iowa, one of the most prolific corn-producing states in the U.S.

Iowa gained statehood in December 1846. Before 1988, the state mostly voted Republican, choosing a candidate from that party all but five times from the Civil War years through 1984. While a battleground every four years, Iowa had sided with the Democrats in six of seven elections from 1992 through 2012. That changed dramatically in 2016 when Donald Trump won the state by over 9%, a 15-point swing from 2012 when Barack Obama won by about 6%. Trump won 8% over Biden in 2020.

Iowa has gradually lost electoral clout as the state's population growth has been slow relative to the rest of the country. With six electoral votes today, the state has fewer than half of the 13 it had from the 1880s through the 1920s.

According to a 2022 study from the U.S. Census Bureau, this state's local governments consist of 99 counties, 940 cities, towns, and villages, and 445 special districts.

The most populous city in Iowa is Des Moines, with over 210,000 residents, followed by Cedar Rapids (130,405) and Davenport (102,582). The largest county in Iowa by population is Polk County, with more than 480,000 persons counted in the population.

The median age in Iowa is 38. The gender ratio is approximately 50.3% female and 49.7% male.

In religious terms, Iowa shows its general preferences, with 77% of the population identifying as Christian-based, 1% with non-Christian-based faiths, and 21% identifying as non-affiliated with any religion.

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Iowa was:

  • White: 87.93%

  • Two or more races: 3.89%

  • Black or African American: 3.74%

  • Asian: 2.49%

  • Other race: 1.47%

  • Native American: 0.34%

  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.13

  • Muslims are about 30,000 or .7 percent.

 

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