Adel, IA

City in Dallas County, IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

6,430

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

36.5

years ∙ half population younger than 36.5, half older

Diversity Index

25.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

3.2%

foreign-born population

96.8%Native

3.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Adel is a city within Dallas County, Iowa, United States.

Location

City in Dallas County, IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.609388° N, 94.012663° W

DMS41° 36′ 33.80″ N, 94° 00′ 45.59″ W

Population Density & area

1,193/sq mi (460.3/km²)

Total Area

5.41 sq mi (14.02 km²)

Land Area

5.39 sq mi (13.97 km²) · 99.64%

Water Area

0.02 sq mi (0.05 km²) · 0.36%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51% male

Male 51%

Female 49%

males per 100 females

Adel 104.1

Dallas County 99

Iowa 100.6

Nativity

3.2%

foreign-born population

96.8%Native

3.2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Adel 3.2%

Dallas County 10.4%

Iowa 5.9%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

36.5

years ∙ half population younger than 36.5, half older

Adel

36.5

Dallas County

36.1

Iowa

38.6

Dependency ratio

74.4

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Adel 74.4

Dallas County 65.1

Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	30.4%	26.6%	22.9%
Working age (18-64)	57.3%	60.5%	59%
Senior (65+)	12.3%	12.9%	18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	74.4	65.1	69.6
Child dependency ratio	53	43.8	38.8
Old-age dependency ratio	21.5	21.2	30.7

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

86.2%

Black

0.9%

Asian

Hispanic

Other

6.9%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

25.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Adel 25.1%

Dallas County 33.6%

Iowa 31.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Adel population

Racial and ethnic composition — Adel vs Dallas County vs Iowa. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Hispanic or Latino	6%	6.9%	7.3%
Mexican	4.4%	4.7%	5%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Cuban	0%	0.1%	0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.6%	2%	1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino	94%	93.1%	92.7%
One race	89.3%	89.2%	89.2%
White	86.2%	80.9%	82.3%
Black or African American	0.9%	3%	3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.4%	0%	0.2%
Asian	0%	4.9%	2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	1.9%	0.5%	0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.7%	3.9%	3.5%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

67.9% family

Family 67.9%

Non family 32.1%

% family households

Adel 67.9%

Dallas County 64.8%

Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.67

persons per household

Adel

2.67

Dallas County

2.53

Iowa

2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Adel population

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Total households	2,372	42,471	1,315,707
Average houshold size	2.67	2.53	2.36
Family households	1,610	27,541	809,836
Average family size	3.35	3.16	2.98
Married couple family	1,441	22,377	635,347
Other families	169	5,164	174,489
Male householder	68	2,037	56,457
Female householder	101	3,127	118,032
Non-family households	762	14,930	505,871
One-person households	661	11,490	406,436
Male householder	257	5,099	193,582
Senior (65+) living alone	72	843	58,028
Female householder	404	6,391	212,854
Senior (65+) living alone	176	2,839	111,645
Other living arrangements	101	3,440	99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,421

housing units

Adel 2,421

Dallas County 44,804

Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

98% occupied

Occupied 98%

Vacant 2%

vacancy rate

Adel 2%

Dallas County 5.2%

Iowa 8.5%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

76.8%

Single family houses

76.8%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

20.9%

Mobile homes

2.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1993

Half of houses were built before 1993, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

15.7%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

13.4%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

27%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

44%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.1	6	5.9
1–3 rooms	11.2%	15.6%	11.8%
4–6 rooms	43.8%	40.5%	47.4%
7+ rooms	45%	43.9%	40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	1.5%	1.7%
1 bedroom	14.8%	8.2%	9.2%
2 bedrooms	13.8%	26.2%	27%
3 bedrooms	36.8%	29.4%	37.3%
4+ bedrooms	34.6%	34.6%	24.7%
At a glance
Median year built	1993	2006	1972
Total housing units	2,421	44,804	1,437,699

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

65.2% owners

Renter-occupied 34.8%

Owner-occupied 65.2%

homeownership rate

Adel 65.2%

Dallas County 69%

Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.97

Owner-occupied

2.12

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Adel 2.97

Dallas County 2.79

Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Total occupied units	2,372	42,471	1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later	28.2%	34%	24.3%
2010 to 2019	48.4%	41.8%	38.7%
2000 to 2009	12.6%	15.2%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	10.9%	9%	20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.8%	98.2%	98.4%
1.01 to 1.50	1.2%	1.5%	1.1%
1.51 or more	0%	0.3%	0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.6%	2.9%	5.4%
1 vehicle	27.2%	28.9%	30.5%
2 vehicles	44.8%	46.1%	37.8%
3 or more vehicles	22.5%	22.1%	26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas	70.8%	66.6%	72.8%
Electricity	26%	32.1%	24.4%
Solar	0%	0%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.1%	0.3%
All other fuels	2.4%	0.9%	1.8%
No fuel used	0.7%	0.3%	0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.5%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.7%	0.4%	0.8%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$327,900

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Adel

$327,900

Dallas County

$355,600

Iowa

$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

16.5%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

16.5%

Owners without a mortgage

1.6%

Renters

47%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Property value
Median Value	$327,900	$355,600	$208,000
Under $100,000	5.2%	6.4%	17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000	15.1%	13.6%	30%
$200,000 - $300,000	22%	18.3%	23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000	49.4%	37.4%	21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	8.3%	21.9%	6.8%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	2.3%	1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	78.2%	68.8%	59.4%
Without a mortgage	21.8%	31.2%	40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,940	$2,160	$1,533
Without a mortgage	$688	$757	$616
Gross rent
Median rent	$926	$1,311	$972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

37.9%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Adel 37.9%

Dallas County 51.5%

Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.3%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Adel 5.3%

Dallas County 4.6%

Iowa 6.7%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,661

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

7.5%

K–12

78.6%

College / Undergraduate

9.3%

Graduate / Professional

4.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

48.5%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Adel

48.5%

Dallas County

31.7%

Iowa

42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,661	27,914	784,322
Nursery / preschool	7.5%	7.6%	6.2%
K–12	78.6%	74.9%	68.4%
Kindergarten	10.5%	6%	5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	24.5%	24.4%	20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	27.3%	22.6%	21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12	16.3%	21.9%	21.6%
College or graduate school	13.8%	17.4%	25.4%
College, undergraduate	9.3%	11.4%	20.8%
Graduate, professional school	4.5%	6%	4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	48.5%	31.7%	42.3%
School type
Public school	89.8%	84.3%	84.4%
Private school	10.2%	15.7%	15.6%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

4,175

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

4.2%

HS graduate

25.2%

Some college no degree

19%

Associates degree

12.5%

Bachelors degree

25.4%

Graduate or professional degree

12.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

55.3% · 44.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

46.3% · 53.7%

HS graduate

43% · 57%

Some college no degree

61.3% · 38.7%

Associates degree

31.7% · 68.3%

Bachelors degree

52.4% · 47.6%

Graduate or professional degree

44.9% · 55.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Population (25+)	4,175	71,218	2,154,149
Less than 9th grade	1.1%	1.9%	2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	4.2%	2.7%	4%
High school diploma or GED	25.2%	17.4%	30%
Some college, no degree	19%	17.5%	19.7%
Associate's degree	12.5%	9%	12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	37.9%	51.5%	31.4%
Bachelor's degree	25.4%	33.8%	20.9%
Graduate or professional	12.5%	17.7%	10.5%
High School or higher	94.7%	95.4%	93.3%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$60,781

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$45,379

Some college or associates

$61,913

Bachelors degree

$72,517

Graduate or professional degree

$83,542

Poverty Rate

5.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

65%

HS graduate

8.5%

Some college or associates

8.8%

Bachelors degree or higher

5.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Adel	Dallas County	Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$60,781	$65,003	$51,106
Less than high school graduate	$—	$32,239	$35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$45,379	$46,681	$41,528
Some college or associate's degree	$61,913	$52,278	$47,635
Bachelor's degree	$72,517	$75,323	$62,744
Graduate or professional degree	$83,542	$97,576	$80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	65%	24.2%	21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	8.5%	8%	12.4%
Some college or associate's degree	8.8%	6.3%	8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.3%	2.9%	3.8%

Insights for Adel, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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