Chinese Population in Iowa by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Chinese population in Iowa totals 15,556. Johnson County contains the largest Chinese community with 3,505 residents, followed by Polk County (3,083), Story County (2,585), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Iowa by their Chinese populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Chinese population in Iowa

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  • 1
    Johnson County
    Chinese population in Johnson County is 3,505
    2.26% of Johnson County population is Chinese
  • 2
    Polk County
    Chinese population in Polk County is 3,083
    0.62% of Polk County population is Chinese
  • 3
    Story County
    Chinese population in Story County is 2,585
    2.62% of Story County population is Chinese
  • 4
    Scott County
    Chinese population in Scott County is 1,292
    0.74% of Scott County population is Chinese
  • 5
    Dallas County
    Chinese population in Dallas County is 676
    0.65% of Dallas County population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in Iowa

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Iowa contains 15,556 Chinese residents (0.49% of 3.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 37th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Chinese population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Iowa's Chinese demographic representation of 0.49% remains below the national average of 1.6%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Iowa contains 15,556 Chinese residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Chinese population of 5.4 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Iowa with 0.28 Chinese Americans per square mile, below the national average of 1.5 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with below-average demographic concentrations nationally.
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99 Counties in Iowa Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Chinese population in Iowa distributed across multiple counties, led by Johnson County, Polk County, Story County, and Scott County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Chinese ancestry. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Iowa ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
County
Chinese Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Iowa Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Johnson County 3,505 2.26% 22.53%
2 Polk County 3,083 0.62% 19.82%
3 Story County 2,585 2.62% 16.62%
4 Scott County 1,292 0.74% 8.31%
5 Dallas County 676 0.65% 4.35%
6 Linn County 649 0.28% 4.17%
7 Pottawattamie County 388 0.42% 2.49%
8 298 0.23% 1.92%
9 265 0.62% 1.70%
10 239 0.60% 1.54%
11 225 0.23% 1.45%
12 190 0.18% 1.22%
13 179 0.86% 1.15%
14 174 0.46% 1.12%
15 108 0.58% 0.69%
16 98 0.59% 0.63%
17 97 0.21% 0.62%
18 94 0.28% 0.60%
19 89 0.24% 0.57%
20 76 0.14% 0.49%
21 74 0.41% 0.48%
22 72 0.37% 0.46%
23 67 0.48% 0.43%
24 65 0.55% 0.42%
24 65 0.29% 0.42%
25 64 0.38% 0.41%
26 58 0.29% 0.37%
27 57 0.28% 0.37%
27 57 0.15% 0.37%
28 55 0.13% 0.35%
29 53 0.40% 0.34%
30 50 0.14% 0.32%
31 45 0.37% 0.29%
32 44 0.18% 0.28%
33 38 0.11% 0.24%
34 35 0.22% 0.23%
35 33 0.36% 0.21%
36 32 0.21% 0.21%
37 28 0.08% 0.18%
38 27 0.10% 0.17%
39 23 0.09% 0.15%
40 21 0.17% 0.14%
41 16 0.07% 0.10%
42 15 0.15% 0.10%
43 14 0.07% 0.09%
44 12 0.06% 0.08%
45 11 0.12% 0.07%
46 10 0.13% 0.06%
46 10 0.10% 0.06%
46 10 0.15% 0.06%
46 10 0.09% 0.06%
47 9 0.05% 0.06%
47 9 0.06% 0.06%
48 8 0.12% 0.05%
49 6 0.05% 0.04%
50 5 0.03% 0.03%
50 5 0.03% 0.03%
50 5 0.05% 0.03%
50 5 0.05% 0.03%
51 4 0.11% 0.03%
51 4 0.02% 0.03%
51 4 0.03% 0.03%
51 4 0.02% 0.03%
51 4 0.04% 0.03%
52 2 0.02% 0.01%
53 1 0.01% 0.01%
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
54 0 - -
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in Iowa by their Chinese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines Chinese population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Chinese ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as Chinese alone, while others identify as Chinese along with another race (such as Chinese and German).
  • We’ve used the “Chinese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Chinese population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Chinese alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Chinese .
  2. % of Total Iowa Chinese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Chinese population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small Chinese populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported Chinese population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Chinese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.