Norwegian Population in Madison County, IA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Norwegian population in Madison County, IA is reported at 615 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Each of the four cities in Madison County shows a Norwegian population, including Winterset (205), Earlham (47), Truro (32), and St. Charles (17). Together, they comprise the bulk of 615 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 Norwegian population in Madison County

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  • 1
    Winterset
    Norwegian population in Winterset is 205
    3.81% of Winterset population is Norwegian
  • 2
    Earlham
    Norwegian population in Earlham is 47
    3.34% of Earlham population is Norwegian
  • 3
    Truro
    Norwegian population in Truro is 32
    5.99% of Truro population is Norwegian
  • 4
    St. Charles
    Norwegian population in St. Charles is 17
    1.91% of St. Charles population is Norwegian

Overview of Norwegian population in Madison County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Madison County contains 615 Norwegian residents (3.7% of 16,760 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 70th percentile nationally among counties and 49th percentile within Iowa for Norwegian demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data documents Madison County's Norwegian demographic representation of 3.7%, exceeding the national average of 1.2% while remaining below Iowa's elevated state average of 4.4%, placing the county above national concentration levels while below state demographic averages.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Madison County contains 615 Norwegian residents, representing less than 1% of Iowa's total Norwegian population of 139,119.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Madison County's density of 1.1 Norwegian Americans per square mile remains below Iowa's average of 2.5 per square mile, with relatively sparse community distribution compared to state demographic concentrations.
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Madison County Cities Ranked by Norwegian Population

View Methodology
ACS demographic data [1] document 615 Norwegian residents across all four cities in Madison County, IA included in this analysis* — Winterset, Earlham, Truro and St. Charles. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on Census Bureau data.
cities in Madison County, IA ranked by Norwegian population count
Rank by Norwegian Population
City
Norwegian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Madison County Norwegian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Winterset 205 3.81% 33.33%
2 Earlham 47 3.34% 7.64%
3 Truro 32 5.99% 5.20%
4 St. Charles 17 1.91% 2.76%
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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 Madison County, IA by their Norwegian population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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