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Carbon, IA

City in Adams County, IA, US
Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

46
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

66.8
years ∙ half population younger than 66.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
8.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.2%
foreign-born population
97.8%Native
2.2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Carbon is a city within Adams County, Iowa, United States.
Location
City in Adams County, IA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC41.049750° N, 94.824575° W
DMS41° 02′ 59.10″ N, 94° 49′ 28.47″ W

Population Density & area

61.33/sq mi (23.67/km²)
Total Area
0.75 sq mi (1.943 km²)
Land Area
0.75 sq mi (1.943 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

52.2% male
Male 52.2%
Female 47.8%
males per 100 females
Carbon 109.1
Adams County 100.3
Iowa 100.6

Nativity

2.2%
foreign-born population
97.8%Native
2.2% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Carbon 2.2%
Adams County 0.5%
Iowa 5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

66.8
years ∙ half population younger than 66.8, half older
Carbon
66.8
Adams County
46.3
Iowa
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
142.1
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Carbon 142.1
Adams County 86.7
Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 0% 22.3% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 41.3% 53.5% 59%
Senior (65+) 58.7% 24.2% 18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 142.1 86.7 69.6
Child dependency ratio 41.5 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 142.1 45.2 30.7
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
95.7%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
4.3%
Other
0%
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

Low High
8.2%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Carbon 8.2%
Adams County 10.6%
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 Carbon population
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Hispanic or Latino 4.3% 1.7% 7.3%
Mexican 0% 1.6% 5%
Puerto Rican 0% 0% 0.3%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 4.3% 0.2% 1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 95.7% 98.3% 92.7%
One race 95.7% 95.1% 89.2%
White 95.7% 94.5% 82.3%
Black or African American 0% 0.3% 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.2% 0.2%
Asian 0% 0% 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0.2%
Some Other Race 0% 0.1% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 0% 3.2% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

60.7% family
Family 60.7%
Non family 39.3%
% family households
Carbon 60.7%
Adams County 61.3%
Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

1.64
persons per household
Carbon
1.64
Adams County
2.29
Iowa
2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Carbon population
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Total households 28 1,540 1,315,707
Average houshold size 1.64 2.29 2.36
Family households 17 944 809,836
Average family size 1.76 2.89 2.98
Married couple family 17 808 635,347
Other families 0 136 174,489
Male householder 0 70 56,457
Female householder 0 66 118,032
Non-family households 11 596 505,871
One-person households 8 498 406,436
Male householder 4 230 193,582
Senior (65+) living alone 2 97 58,028
Female householder 4 268 212,854
Senior (65+) living alone 0 190 111,645
Other living arrangements 3 98 99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

42
housing units
Carbon 42
Adams County 1,889
Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

66.7% occupied
Occupied 66.7%
Vacant 33.3%
vacancy rate
Carbon 33.3%
Adams County 18.5%
Iowa 8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

76.2%
Single family houses
Single family houses
76.2%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
0%
Mobile homes
23.8%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1960
Half of houses were built before 1960, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
35.7%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
30.9%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
7.1%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
26.2%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.2 6.3 5.9
1–3 rooms 4.8% 8% 11.8%
4–6 rooms 76.2% 46.6% 47.4%
7+ rooms 19.1% 45.4% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 4.8% 0.7% 1.7%
1 bedroom 14.3% 10.6% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 57.1% 21.6% 27%
3 bedrooms 7.1% 40.3% 37.3%
4+ bedrooms 16.7% 26.7% 24.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1960 1954 1972
Total housing units 42 1,889 1,437,699
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

82.1% owners
Renter-occupied 17.9%
Owner-occupied 82.1%
homeownership rate
Carbon 82.1%
Adams County 77.1%
Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

1.78
Owner-occupied
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Carbon 1.78
Adams County 2.33
Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Total occupied units 28 1,540 1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later 10.7% 15.5% 24.3%
2010 to 2019 39.3% 35.6% 38.7%
2000 to 2009 17.9% 18.4% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 32.2% 30.5% 20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 99.2% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 0.3% 1.1%
1.51 or more 0% 0.5% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 10.7% 5.5% 5.4%
1 vehicle 39.3% 25.8% 30.5%
2 vehicles 50% 32.7% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 0% 36% 26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 78.6% 64% 72.8%
Electricity 0% 30.2% 24.4%
Solar 0% 0% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.4% 0.3%
All other fuels 21.4% 5% 1.8%
No fuel used 0% 0.5% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 7.1% 0.1% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 0.3% 0.8%
No telephone service available 7.1% 1.2% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$—
owner-occupied units
* The Census Bureau did not report a median home value for Carbon due to an insufficient number of sample cases to produce reliable estimates.
Median value(USD)
Carbon
$—
Adams County
$131,600
Iowa
$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

50%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
50%
Owners without a mortgage
0%
Renters
—%
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
* The Census Bureau did not publish property value and housing costs for Carbon due to an insufficient number of sample cases to produce reliable estimates.
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Property value
Median Value $— $131,600 $208,000
Under $100,000 82.6% 40.3% 17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 17.3% 25.1% 30%
$200,000 - $300,000 0% 16.1% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 0% 13.6% 21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 4.6% 6.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 0.3% 1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 60.9% 39.8% 59.4%
Without a mortgage 39.1% 60.2% 40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $958 $1,313 $1,533
Without a mortgage $417 $500 $616
Gross rent
Median rent $— $893 $972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

8.7%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Carbon 8.7%
Adams County 27%
Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

30.4%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Carbon 30.4%
Adams County 6.1%
Iowa 6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

0
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
—%
K–12
—%
College / Undergraduate
—%
Graduate / Professional
—%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

—%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
* The Census Bureau did not publish college going rate for Carbon due to an insufficient sample size to produce reliable estimates.
Carbon
—%
Adams County
18.7%
Iowa
42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
* The Census Bureau did not publish enrollment and school type data for Carbon due to an insufficient number of sample cases to produce reliable estimates.
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+) 0 772 784,322
Nursery / preschool —% 8.7% 6.2%
K–12 —% 76.9% 68.4%
Kindergarten —% 4.3% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 —% 24.7% 20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 —% 26.2% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 —% 21.8% 21.6%
College or graduate school —% 14.4% 25.4%
College, undergraduate —% 13.2% 20.8%
Graduate, professional school —% 1.2% 4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds —% 18.7% 42.3%
School type
Public school —% 82.3% 84.4%
Private school —% 17.7% 15.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

46
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
0%
9th-12th, no diploma
30.4%
HS graduate
56.5%
Some college no degree
4.3%
Associates degree
0%
Bachelors degree
8.7%
Graduate or professional degree
0%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
* The Census Bureau did not publish education attainment by gender data for Carbon due to an insufficient sample size to produce reliable estimates.
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
—% · —%
9th-12th, no diploma
57.1% · 42.9%
HS graduate
42.3% · 57.7%
Some college no degree
100% · 0%
Associates degree
—% · —%
Bachelors degree
75% · 25%
Graduate or professional degree
—% · —%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Population (25+) 46 2,602 2,154,149
Less than 9th grade 0% 1.1% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 30.4% 5% 4%
High school diploma or GED 56.5% 32.9% 30%
Some college, no degree 4.3% 19% 19.7%
Associate's degree 0% 15.1% 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 8.7% 27% 31.4%
Bachelor's degree 8.7% 21.1% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 0% 5.8% 10.5%
High School or higher 69.6% 93.9% 93.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$21,607
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$—
Some college or associates
$—
Bachelors degree
$—
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
50%
HS graduate
26.9%
Some college or associates
0%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Carbon Adams County Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $21,607 $48,824 $51,106
Less than high school graduate $— $45,272 $35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $— $43,000 $41,528
Some college or associate's degree $— $41,923 $47,635
Bachelor's degree $— $58,790 $62,744
Graduate or professional degree $— $85,658 $80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 50% 27.4% 21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 26.9% 16.9% 12.4%
Some college or associate's degree 0% 4.7% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 2.7% 3.8%

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