Vietnamese Population in Iowa by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to the latest U.S. Census estimates, the Vietnamese population in Iowa totals 12,122. Polk County contains the largest Vietnamese community with 4,625 residents, followed by Woodbury County (1,518), Johnson County (1,220), and others contributing to this statewide total. This demographic analysis ranks all counties in Iowa by their Vietnamese populations, offering insights into local community distribution and broader settlement trends.

Top 5 counties with the largest Vietnamese population in Iowa

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  • 1
    Polk County
    Vietnamese population in Polk County is 4,625
    0.93% of Polk County population is Vietnamese
  • 2
    Woodbury County
    Vietnamese population in Woodbury County is 1,518
    1.44% of Woodbury County population is Vietnamese
  • 3
    Johnson County
    Vietnamese population in Johnson County is 1,220
    0.79% of Johnson County population is Vietnamese
  • 4
    Scott County
    Vietnamese population in Scott County is 1,076
    0.62% of Scott County population is Vietnamese
  • 5
    Dallas County
    Vietnamese population in Dallas County is 563
    0.54% of Dallas County population is Vietnamese

Overview of Vietnamese population in Iowa

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate Iowa contains 12,122 Vietnamese residents (0.38% of 3.2 million total state population), positioning the state at the 43rd percentile nationally among U.S. states for Vietnamese population concentrations.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show Iowa's Vietnamese demographic representation of 0.38% remains below the national average of 0.68%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates Iowa contains 12,122 Vietnamese residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Vietnamese population of 2.3 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data shows Iowa's density of 0.22 Vietnamese Americans per square mile remains below the national average of 0.64 per square mile, indicating relatively sparse distribution compared to national demographic concentrations.
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99 Counties in Iowa Ranked by Vietnamese Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show Vietnamese population in Iowa distributed across multiple counties, led by Polk County, Woodbury County, Johnson County, and Scott County, while several other counties recorded no residents identified as Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in Iowa ranked by Vietnamese population count
Rank by Vietnamese Population
County
Vietnamese Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total Iowa Vietnamese Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Polk County 4,625 0.93% 38.15%
2 Woodbury County 1,518 1.44% 12.52%
3 Johnson County 1,220 0.79% 10.06%
4 Scott County 1,076 0.62% 8.88%
5 Dallas County 563 0.54% 4.64%
6 Linn County 496 0.22% 4.09%
7 Story County 458 0.46% 3.78%
8 445 0.34% 3.67%
9 219 0.55% 1.81%
10 176 1.12% 1.45%
11 143 0.27% 1.18%
12 119 0.12% 0.98%
13 114 0.12% 0.94%
14 96 0.22% 0.79%
15 91 0.21% 0.75%
16 73 0.35% 0.60%
17 58 0.26% 0.48%
18 54 0.36% 0.45%
19 52 0.31% 0.43%
20 49 0.19% 0.40%
21 48 0.37% 0.40%
22 44 0.12% 0.36%
23 33 0.09% 0.27%
23 33 0.31% 0.27%
24 30 0.28% 0.25%
25 24 0.14% 0.20%
26 23 0.12% 0.19%
27 21 0.06% 0.17%
28 20 0.10% 0.17%
29 19 0.12% 0.16%
30 18 0.27% 0.15%
31 17 0.07% 0.14%
31 17 0.19% 0.14%
32 16 0.09% 0.13%
32 16 0.09% 0.13%
32 16 0.04% 0.13%
33 14 0.16% 0.12%
34 12 0.04% 0.10%
35 11 0.08% 0.09%
36 9 0.03% 0.07%
37 7 0.07% 0.06%
38 6 0.06% 0.05%
39 4 0.04% 0.03%
39 4 0.04% 0.03%
40 3 0.02% 0.02%
40 3 0.02% 0.02%
40 3 0.03% 0.02%
41 2 0.01% 0.02%
41 2 0.02% 0.02%
41 2 0.03% 0.02%
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Need the complete table? Full rankings and the underlying data sets for California and other locations are available for purchase or license.

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 county in Iowa by their Vietnamese population, using the most recent ACS data available.

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

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Vietnamese alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Vietnamese .
  2. % of Total Iowa Vietnamese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Vietnamese 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 Vietnamese 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.
  • County that don’t have any reported Vietnamese 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 Vietnamese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

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