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

The German population in Black Hawk County, IA is recorded at 39,387 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Black Hawk County, IA has some German population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how German communities are spread across Black Hawk County, IA and comparable counties throughout Iowa.

Top 5 cities with the largest German population in Black Hawk County

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  • 1
    Waterloo
    German population in Waterloo is 15,499
    23.15% of Waterloo population is German
  • 2
    Cedar Falls
    German population in Cedar Falls is 14,673
    36.09% of Cedar Falls population is German
  • 3
    Evansdale
    German population in Evansdale is 1,362
    30.07% of Evansdale population is German
  • 4
    Hudson
    German population in Hudson is 1,244
    47.59% of Hudson population is German
  • 5
    La Porte City
    German population in La Porte City is 865
    39.86% of La Porte City population is German

Overview of German population in Black Hawk County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Black Hawk County with 39,387 German residents (30.1% of 130,693 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 91st percentile nationally among counties and 93rd percentile within Iowa for German population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Black Hawk County's German demographic representation of 30.1%, exceeding the national average of 12.6% while remaining below Iowa's elevated state average of 30.8%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Black Hawk County with 39,387 German residents, representing 4% of Iowa's total German population of 985,304.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Black Hawk County's density of 69.6 German Americans per square mile exceeds Iowa's average of 17.6 per square mile by more than triple, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for German demographic communities.
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10 Cities in Black Hawk County Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm German populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Evansdale, and Hudson. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 10 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Black Hawk County, IA ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
City
German Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Black Hawk County German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Waterloo 15,499 23.15% 39.35%
2 Cedar Falls 14,673 36.09% 37.25%
3 Evansdale 1,362 30.07% 3.46%
4 Hudson 1,244 47.59% 3.16%
5 La Porte City 865 39.86% 2.20%
6 Janesville 485 47.92% 1.23%
7 Elk Run Heights 409 42.25% 1.04%
8 339 46.06% 0.86%
9 329 39.03% 0.84%
10 325 40.68% 0.83%
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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 German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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