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

The Puerto Rican population in Story County, IA totals 240, led by Ames (203), followed by Nevada (21) and Maxwell (3). The remaining residents likely live in unincorporated areas or in smaller cities not included in this analysis. Below, we examine Puerto Rican population patterns across Story County.

Top 5 cities with the largest Puerto Rican population in Story County

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  • 1
    Ames
    Puerto Rican population in Ames is 203
    0.31% of Ames population is Puerto Rican
  • 2
    Nevada
    Puerto Rican population in Nevada is 21
    0.30% of Nevada population is Puerto Rican
  • 3
    Maxwell
    Puerto Rican population in Maxwell is 3
    0.38% of Maxwell population is Puerto Rican
  • 4
    Cambridge
    Puerto Rican population in Cambridge is 0
    - of Cambridge population is Puerto Rican
  • 5
    Collins
    Puerto Rican population in Collins is 0
    - of Collins population is Puerto Rican

Overview of Puerto Rican population in Story County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data document Story County with 240 Puerto Rican residents (0.24% of 98,592 total county population), positioning the jurisdiction at the 68th percentile nationally among counties and 89th percentile within Iowa for Puerto Rican population concentrations, despite absolute population figures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS data indicate Story County's Puerto Rican population of 0.24% remains below Iowa's state average of 0.31% and the national average of 1.8%, placing the county below demographic benchmarks across multiple geographic scales.
  • Share of Total State Population: Official American Community Survey data documents Story County with 240 Puerto Rican residents, representing 2.4% of Iowa's total Puerto Rican population of 9,894.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Story County's density of 0.42 Puerto Ricans per square mile exceeds Iowa's average of 0.18 per square mile by more than double, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Puerto Rican demographic communities.
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12 Cities in Story County Ranked by Puerto Rican Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Puerto Rican populations in two incorporated cities: Ames ( rank_1_geo_dempop residents) and rank_2_geo_name ( rank_2_geo_dempop residents). The table below provides additional context, including total population, population density, and demographic distributions, based on the current ACS data for incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
cities in Story County, IA ranked by Puerto Rican population count
Rank by Puerto Rican Population
City
Puerto Rican Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Story County Puerto Rican Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Ames 203 0.31% 84.58%
2 Nevada 21 0.30% 8.75%
3 Maxwell 3 0.38% 1.25%
4 Cambridge 0 - -
4 Collins 0 - -
4 Colo 0 - -
4 Gilbert 0 - -
4 0 - -
4 0 - -
4 0 - -
4 0 - -
4 0 - -
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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 Puerto Rican population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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