Swedish Population in Des Moines County, IA by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights

The Swedish population in Des Moines County, IA is reported at 1,344 residents, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Each of the four cities in Des Moines County shows a Swedish population, including Burlington (835), Mediapolis (125), West Burlington (99), and Danville (16). Together, they comprise the bulk of 1,344 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 Swedish population in Des Moines County

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  • 1
    Burlington
    Swedish population in Burlington is 835
    3.51% of Burlington population is Swedish
  • 2
    Mediapolis
    Swedish population in Mediapolis is 125
    6.48% of Mediapolis population is Swedish
  • 3
    West Burlington
    Swedish population in West Burlington is 99
    3.11% of West Burlington population is Swedish
  • 4
    Danville
    Swedish population in Danville is 16
    1.66% of Danville population is Swedish

Overview of Swedish population in Des Moines County

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data shows Des Moines County contains 1,344 Swedish residents (3.5% of 38,597 total county population), ranking the jurisdiction at the 83rd percentile nationally among counties and 88th percentile within Iowa for Swedish demographic concentrations across both absolute and proportional measures.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: Census Bureau's ACS show Des Moines County's Swedish population of 3.5% surpassing both Iowa's state average of 2.3% and the national average of 1%, 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 Des Moines County's 1,344 Swedish residents constitute 1.9% of Iowa's total Swedish population of 72,293.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey indicate Des Moines County's density of 3.2 Swedish Americans per square mile exceeds Iowa's average of 1.3 per square mile by two and a half times, establishing the county as a significant concentration center for Swedish demographic communities.
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Des Moines County Cities Ranked by Swedish Population

View Methodology
ACS demographic data [1] document 1,344 Swedish residents across all four cities in Des Moines County, IA included in this analysis* — Burlington, Mediapolis, West Burlington and Danville. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on Census Bureau data.
cities in Des Moines County, IA ranked by Swedish population count
Rank by Swedish Population
City
Swedish Population
% of Total City Population
% of Total Des Moines County Swedish Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Burlington 835 3.51% 62.13%
2 Mediapolis 125 6.48% 9.30%
3 West Burlington 99 3.11% 7.37%
4 Danville 16 1.66% 1.19%
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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 Des Moines County, IA by their Swedish population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

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

Sources

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