Chinese Population in Story County, IA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Chinese population in Story County, IA is reported at 2,585 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Story County - including Ames, Nevada, Gilbert, and others - contribute to the Chinese population, but the total county figure of 2,585 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how Chinese residents are distributed in Iowa and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest Chinese population in Story County

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  • 1
    Ames
    Chinese population in Ames is 2,240
    3.39% of Ames population is Chinese
  • 2
    Nevada
    Chinese population in Nevada is 157
    2.26% of Nevada population is Chinese
  • 3
    Gilbert
    Chinese population in Gilbert is 14
    1.08% of Gilbert population is Chinese
  • 4
    Zearing
    Chinese population in Zearing is 11
    1.88% of Zearing population is Chinese
  • 5
    Colo
    Chinese population in Colo is 3
    0.40% of Colo population is Chinese

Overview of Chinese population in Story County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Story County contains 2,585 Chinese residents (2.6% of 98,592 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 93rd percentile nationally among counties and 97th percentile within Iowa for Chinese demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Story County's Chinese population of 2.6% surpassing both Iowa's state average of 0.49% and the national average of 1.6%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey indicate Story County's 2,585 Chinese residents constitute 16.6% of Iowa's total Chinese population of 15,556, placing the county among jurisdictions with the highest demographic concentrations, with 16.6% of all Iowa Chinese Americans residing within county boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Story County maintains 4.5 Chinese Americans per square mile, representing sixteen and one-quarter times Iowa's average of 0.28 per square mile, establishing the county as an exceptional concentration center comparable to major metropolitan demographic areas.
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12 Cities in Story County Ranked by Chinese Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show Chinese populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Ames, Nevada, Gilbert, and Zearing. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 12 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Story County, IA ranked by Chinese population count
Rank by Chinese Population
City
Chinese Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Story County Chinese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ames 2,240 3.39% 86.65%
2 Nevada 157 2.26% 6.07%
3 Gilbert 14 1.08% 0.54%
4 Zearing 11 1.88% 0.43%
5 Colo 3 0.40% 0.12%
6 Cambridge 0 - -
6 Collins 0 - -
6 0 - -
6 0 - -
6 0 - -
6 0 - -
6 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 city in Story County, IA 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 city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Chinese .
  2. % of Total Story County 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.
  • City 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.