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

The Mexican population in Story County, IA is recorded at 3,176 residents, based on the latest U.S. Census estimates. Each city in Story County, IA has some Mexican population, but the county''s higher total suggests additional rural or non-municipal representation. The analysis below explores how Mexican communities are spread across Story County, IA and comparable counties throughout Iowa.

Top 5 cities with the largest Mexican population in Story County

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  • 1
    Ames
    Mexican population in Ames is 1,928
    2.92% of Ames population is Mexican
  • 2
    Nevada
    Mexican population in Nevada is 522
    7.51% of Nevada population is Mexican
  • 3
    Story City
    Mexican population in Story City is 106
    3.15% of Story City population is Mexican
  • 4
    Huxley
    Mexican population in Huxley is 83
    1.87% of Huxley population is Mexican
  • 5
    Zearing
    Mexican population in Zearing is 73
    12.50% of Zearing population is Mexican

Overview of Mexican population in Story County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Story County contains 3,176 Mexican residents (3.2% of 98,592 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 73rd percentile nationally among counties and 86th percentile within Iowa for Mexican demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Story County's Mexican population of 3.2% remains below Iowa's state average of 4.9% and the national average of 11.3%, placing the county below demographic benchmarks across multiple geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Story County with 3,176 Mexican residents, representing 2% of Iowa's total Mexican population of 157,347.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows Story County maintains 5.5 Mexican Americans per square mile compared to Iowa's average of 2.8, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to state averages.
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12 Cities in Story County Ranked by Mexican Population

View Methodology
ACS data [1] confirm Mexican populations in every incorporated city in the county, with the largest counts in Ames, Nevada, Story City, and Huxley. The table below provides detailed figures, including total population, density measures, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for all 12 incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Story County, IA ranked by Mexican population count
Rank by Mexican Population
City
Mexican Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Story County Mexican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ames 1,928 2.92% 60.71%
2 Nevada 522 7.51% 16.44%
3 Story City 106 3.15% 3.34%
4 Huxley 83 1.87% 2.61%
5 Zearing 73 12.50% 2.30%
6 Slater 67 4.47% 2.11%
7 Cambridge 54 5.70% 1.70%
8 46 5.83% 1.45%
9 24 1.85% 0.76%
10 19 2.53% 0.60%
11 9 0.62% 0.28%
12 5 1.01% 0.16%
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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 Mexican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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