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

The Norwegian population in Worth County, IA totals 2,043 residents, according to the most recent census estimates. Of these, Northwood and Manly account for 616 and 107 residents respectively, suggesting a shared urban presence. However, the remaining population appears to reside outside city boundaries, likely spread across unincorporated parts of Worth County or smaller incorporated cities not captured in this ranking analysis*. The analysis below explores this hybrid distribution and how it reflects broader trends across Iowa counties.

Top 5 cities with the largest Norwegian population in Worth County

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  • 1
    Northwood
    Norwegian population in Northwood is 616
    28.39% of Northwood population is Norwegian
  • 2
    Manly
    Norwegian population in Manly is 107
    8.31% of Manly population is Norwegian

Overview of Norwegian population in Worth County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Worth County with 2,043 Norwegian residents (27.7% of 7,380 total county population), placing the jurisdiction at the 86th percentile nationally among counties and 83rd percentile within Iowa for Norwegian population density, with demographic concentrations among the highest nationwide.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Worth County's Norwegian population of 27.7% surpassing both Iowa's state average of 4.4% and the national average of 1.2%, positioning the county as a high-concentration jurisdiction exceeding demographic benchmarks across all geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey show Worth County's 2,043 Norwegian residents constitute 1.5% of Iowa's total Norwegian population of 139,119.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Worth County's density of 5.1 Norwegian Americans per square mile exceeds Iowa's average of 2.5 per square mile by exactly double, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Norwegian demographic communities.
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Worth County Cities by Norwegian Population

View Methodology
ACS [1] population records show Northwood and Manly account for 616 and 107 Norwegian residents. The following table shows comprehensive population data, demographic percentages, density measurements, and complete comparison metrics for both cities in Worth County, IA.
cities in Worth County, IA ranked by Norwegian population count
Rank by Norwegian Population
City
Norwegian Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Worth County Norwegian Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Northwood 616 28.39% 30.15%
2 Manly 107 8.31% 5.24%
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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 Worth 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 Worth 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.