French Population in Des Moines County, IA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The French population in Des Moines County, IA is reported at 659 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Each of the four cities in Des Moines County shows a French population, including Burlington (398), West Burlington (38), Danville (15), and Mediapolis (10). Together, they comprise the bulk of 659 residents in the county. The rest appear to reside in unincorporated areas. This city-plus-rural pattern is examined in the insights below.

Top 5 cities with the largest French population in Des Moines County

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  • 1
    Burlington
    French population in Burlington is 398
    1.67% of Burlington population is French
  • 2
    West Burlington
    French population in West Burlington is 38
    1.19% of West Burlington population is French
  • 3
    Danville
    French population in Danville is 15
    1.55% of Danville population is French
  • 4
    Mediapolis
    French population in Mediapolis is 10
    0.52% of Mediapolis population is French

Overview of French population in Des Moines County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Des Moines County contains 659 French residents (1.7% of 38,597 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 60th percentile nationally among counties and 85th percentile within Iowa for French demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS indicate Des Moines County's French population of 1.7% exceeds Iowa's state average of 1.5% while remaining below the national average of 2%, placing the county above regional demographic benchmarks while below national concentration levels.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey show Des Moines County's 659 French residents constitute 1.4% of Iowa's total French population of 48,532.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Des Moines County maintains 1.6 French Americans per square mile compared to Iowa's average of 0.87, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to state averages.
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Des Moines County Cities Ranked by French Population

View Methodology
ACS demographic data [1] document 659 French residents across all four cities in Des Moines County, IA included in this analysis* — Burlington, West Burlington, Danville and Mediapolis. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on Census Bureau data.
cities in Des Moines County, IA ranked by French population count
Rank by French Population
City
French Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Des Moines County French Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Burlington 398 1.67% 60.39%
2 West Burlington 38 1.19% 5.77%
3 Danville 15 1.55% 2.28%
4 Mediapolis 10 0.52% 1.52%
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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 Des Moines County, IA by their French population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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