French Canadian Population in Black Hawk County, IA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The French Canadian population in Black Hawk County, IA is reported at 337 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Several cities in Black Hawk County - including Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Evansdale, and others - contribute to the French Canadian population, but the total county figure of 337 indicates additional presence beyond municipal borders. The sections below explores how French Canadian residents are distributed in Iowa and the U.S.

Top 5 cities with the largest French Canadian population in Black Hawk County

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  • 1
    Cedar Falls
    French Canadian population in Cedar Falls is 166
    0.41% of Cedar Falls population is French Canadian
  • 2
    Waterloo
    French Canadian population in Waterloo is 107
    0.16% of Waterloo population is French Canadian
  • 3
    Evansdale
    French Canadian population in Evansdale is 20
    0.44% of Evansdale population is French Canadian
  • 4
    La Porte City
    French Canadian population in La Porte City is 13
    0.60% of La Porte City population is French Canadian
  • 5
    Hudson
    French Canadian population in Hudson is 5
    0.19% of Hudson population is French Canadian

Overview of French Canadian population in Black Hawk County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Black Hawk County with 337 French Canadian residents (0.26% of 130,693 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 77th percentile nationally among counties and 93rd percentile within Iowa for French Canadian population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate Black Hawk County's French Canadian population of 0.26% exceeds Iowa's state average of 0.2% while remaining below the national average of 0.51%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Black Hawk County with 337 French Canadian residents, representing 5.4% of Iowa's total French Canadian population of 6,237.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey document Black Hawk County with 0.6 French-Canadian Americans per square mile, more than five times Iowa's average density of 0.11 per square mile, placing the county among the most densely concentrated jurisdictions within the state.
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10 Cities in Black Hawk County Ranked by French Canadian Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] show French Canadian populations distributed across multiple cities in the county, led by Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Evansdale, and La Porte City. The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on current ACS data for 10 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Black Hawk County, IA ranked by French Canadian population count
Rank by French Canadian Population
City
French Canadian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Black Hawk County French Canadian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Cedar Falls 166 0.41% 49.26%
2 Waterloo 107 0.16% 31.75%
3 Evansdale 20 0.44% 5.93%
4 La Porte City 13 0.60% 3.86%
5 Hudson 5 0.19% 1.48%
6 Dunkerton 0 - -
6 Elk Run Heights 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 Black Hawk County, IA by their French Canadian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines French Canadian 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 French Canadian 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 French Canadian alone, while others identify as French Canadian along with another race (such as French Canadian and German).
  • We’ve used the “French Canadian alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the French Canadian population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as French Canadian 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 French Canadian .
  2. % of Total Black Hawk County French Canadian Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. French Canadian 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 French Canadian 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 French Canadian 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 French Canadian populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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