Afton, IA

City in Union County, IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

817

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

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 39, half older

Diversity Index

28.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

10.3%

foreign-born population

89.7%Native

10.3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Afton is a city within Union County, Iowa, United States.

Location

City in Union County, IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.027589° N, 94.195296° W

DMS41° 01′ 39.32″ N, 94° 11′ 43.07″ W

Population Density & area

808.9/sq mi (314.2/km²)

Total Area

1.01 sq mi (2.6 km²)

Land Area

1.01 sq mi (2.6 km²) · 100%

Water Area

0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

54.8% male

Male 54.8%

Female 45.2%

males per 100 females

Afton 121.4

Union County 99.4

Iowa 100.6

Nativity

10.3%

foreign-born population

89.7%Native

10.3% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Afton 10.3%

Union County 1.8%

Iowa 5.9%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 39, half older

Afton

Union County

40.5

Iowa

38.6

Dependency ratio

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Afton 80

Union County 76.2

Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.6%	22.5%	22.9%
Working age (18-64)	55.6%	56.7%	59%
Senior (65+)	21.8%	20.8%	18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	80	76.2	69.6
Child dependency ratio	40.7	39.6	38.8
Old-age dependency ratio	39.2	36.6	30.7

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

84%

Black

3.1%

Asian

Hispanic

10.8%

Other

2.1%

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

28.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Afton 28.1%

Union County 15.3%

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 Afton population

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Hispanic or Latino	10.8%	3.8%	7.3%
Mexican	8%	3.3%	5%
Puerto Rican	0%	0%	0.3%
Cuban	0%	0.2%	0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino	2.8%	0.3%	1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino	89.2%	96.2%	92.7%
One race	87.1%	93.8%	89.2%
White	84%	91.9%	82.3%
Black or African American	3.1%	0.8%	3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0%	0.2%
Asian	0%	0.9%	2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.2%	0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2.1%	2.4%	3.5%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

55.9% family

Family 55.9%

Non family 44.1%

% family households

Afton 55.9%

Union County 56.4%

Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.5

persons per household

Afton

2.5

Union County

2.28

Iowa

2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Afton population

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Total households	320	5,116	1,315,707
Average houshold size	2.5	2.28	2.36
Family households	179	2,886	809,836
Average family size	3.29	3.06	2.98
Married couple family	151	2,306	635,347
Other families	28	580	174,489
Male householder	3	113	56,457
Female householder	25	467	118,032
Non-family households	141	2,230	505,871
One-person households	110	1,939	406,436
Male householder	60	924	193,582
Senior (65+) living alone	12	378	58,028
Female householder	50	1,015	212,854
Senior (65+) living alone	23	539	111,645
Other living arrangements	31	291	99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

386

housing units

Afton 386

Union County 5,785

Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

82.9% occupied

Occupied 82.9%

Vacant 17.1%

vacancy rate

Afton 17.1%

Union County 11.6%

Iowa 8.5%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

66.3%

Single family houses

66.3%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

26.9%

Mobile homes

6.7%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1967

Half of houses were built before 1967, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

21.8%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

32.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

41.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

3.3%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.2	5.8	5.9
1–3 rooms	16.6%	10.7%	11.8%
4–6 rooms	54.7%	51.3%	47.4%
7+ rooms	28.8%	37.8%	40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.1%	3.2%	1.7%
1 bedroom	13.5%	9.5%	9.2%
2 bedrooms	33.4%	30.8%	27%
3 bedrooms	40.7%	38.1%	37.3%
4+ bedrooms	9.3%	18.4%	24.7%
At a glance
Median year built	1967	1966	1972
Total housing units	386	5,785	1,437,699

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

67.5% owners

Renter-occupied 32.5%

Owner-occupied 67.5%

homeownership rate

Afton 67.5%

Union County 72.1%

Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.86

Owner-occupied

1.75

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Afton 2.86

Union County 2.48

Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Total occupied units	320	5,116	1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later	22.2%	17.4%	24.3%
2010 to 2019	39.7%	40.6%	38.7%
2000 to 2009	13.1%	16.6%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	25%	25.3%	20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	96.9%	99%	98.4%
1.01 to 1.50	0.6%	0.9%	1.1%
1.51 or more	2.5%	0.2%	0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	15%	5.9%	5.4%
1 vehicle	32.2%	32.2%	30.5%
2 vehicles	28.4%	34.1%	37.8%
3 or more vehicles	24.4%	27.9%	26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas	75.7%	66.2%	72.8%
Electricity	22.2%	31.1%	24.4%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0.2%	0.3%
All other fuels	1.5%	1.8%	1.8%
No fuel used	0.6%	0.6%	0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.9%	0.7%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.9%	0.4%	0.8%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$95,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Afton

$95,300

Union County

$122,000

Iowa

$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

6.6%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

6.6%

Owners without a mortgage

11.2%

Renters

21.9%

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

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Property value
Median Value	$95,300	$122,000	$208,000
Under $100,000	53.2%	35.3%	17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000	41.2%	36.5%	30%
$200,000 - $300,000	3.2%	13.6%	23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000	0.9%	10.2%	21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	1.4%	3.8%	6.8%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	0.5%	1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	42.1%	48.3%	59.4%
Without a mortgage	57.9%	51.7%	40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$926	$1,250	$1,533
Without a mortgage	$460	$596	$616
Gross rent
Median rent	$590	$721	$972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

21%

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

Afton 21%

Union County 23.3%

Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

5.8%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Afton 5.8%

Union County 8.5%

Iowa 6.7%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

192

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

14.1%

K–12

68.2%

College / Undergraduate

15.1%

Graduate / Professional

2.6%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

28.6%

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

Afton

28.6%

Union County

35.9%

Iowa

42.3%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+)	192	3,007	784,322
Nursery / preschool	14.1%	8.9%	6.2%
K–12	68.2%	68.7%	68.4%
Kindergarten	1%	2.2%	5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	14.6%	18%	20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	15.6%	22.3%	21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12	37%	26.2%	21.6%
College or graduate school	17.7%	22.4%	25.4%
College, undergraduate	15.1%	19.3%	20.8%
Graduate, professional school	2.6%	3.1%	4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	28.6%	35.9%	42.3%
School type
Public school	99.5%	87.4%	84.4%
Private school	0.5%	12.6%	15.6%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

590

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

4.4%

9th-12th, no diploma

1.4%

HS graduate

40.2%

Some college no degree

21.5%

Associates degree

11.5%

Bachelors degree

17.8%

Graduate or professional degree

3.2%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

57.7% · 42.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

37.5% · 62.5%

HS graduate

66.7% · 33.3%

Some college no degree

40.9% · 59.1%

Associates degree

36.8% · 63.2%

Bachelors degree

54.3% · 45.7%

Graduate or professional degree

78.9% · 21.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Population (25+)	590	8,190	2,154,149
Less than 9th grade	4.4%	2.8%	2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	1.4%	5.7%	4%
High school diploma or GED	40.2%	34.6%	30%
Some college, no degree	21.5%	24%	19.7%
Associate's degree	11.5%	9.5%	12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21%	23.3%	31.4%
Bachelor's degree	17.8%	17%	20.9%
Graduate or professional	3.2%	6.3%	10.5%
High School or higher	94.2%	91.5%	93.3%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$38,024

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$—

HS graduate

$45,625

Some college or associates

$31,667

Bachelors degree

$36,250

Graduate or professional degree

$45,000

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

17.6%

HS graduate

11%

Some college or associates

17.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Afton	Union County	Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$38,024	$41,677	$51,106
Less than high school graduate	$—	$39,615	$35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$45,625	$37,043	$41,528
Some college or associate's degree	$31,667	$40,465	$47,635
Bachelor's degree	$36,250	$52,431	$62,744
Graduate or professional degree	$45,000	$53,421	$80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	17.6%	29.7%	21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	11%	14.5%	12.4%
Some college or associate's degree	17.4%	10.8%	8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	4%	4.2%	3.8%

Insights for Afton, 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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