Emerson, IA

City in Mills County, IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

570

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

Median Age

45.4

years ∙ half population younger than 45.4, half older

Diversity Index

10.8%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.6%

foreign-born population

98.4%Native

1.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Emerson is a city within Mills County, Iowa, United States.

Location

City in Mills County, IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC41.017980° N, 95.402725° W

DMS41° 01′ 04.73″ N, 95° 24′ 09.81″ W

Population Density & area

2,235/sq mi (863.6/km²)

Total Area

0.255 sq mi (0.66 km²)

Land Area

0.255 sq mi (0.66 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

47.7% male

Male 47.7%

Female 52.3%

males per 100 females

Emerson 91.3

Mills County 99.8

Iowa 100.6

Nativity

1.6%

foreign-born population

98.4%Native

1.6% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Emerson 1.6%

Mills County 1.2%

Iowa 5.9%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

45.4

years ∙ half population younger than 45.4, half older

Emerson

45.4

Mills County

42.1

Iowa

38.6

Dependency ratio

65.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Emerson 65.7

Mills County 75.1

Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.6%	22.8%	22.9%
Working age (18-64)	60.4%	57.1%	59%
Senior (65+)	17%	20.1%	18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	65.7	75.1	69.6
Child dependency ratio	37.5	40	38.8
Old-age dependency ratio	28.2	35.1	30.7

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

94.4%

Black

Asian

1.6%

Hispanic

1.1%

Other

2.9%

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

10.8%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Emerson 10.8%

Mills County 13.9%

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 Emerson population

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Hispanic or Latino	1.1%	3.9%	7.3%
Mexican	0.4%	1.5%	5%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.5%	0.3%
Cuban	0%	0.2%	0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.7%	1.7%	1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino	98.9%	96.1%	92.7%
One race	95.9%	93.8%	89.2%
White	94.4%	92.7%	82.3%
Black or African American	0%	0.4%	3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.1%	0.2%
Asian	1.6%	0.5%	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)	3%	2.3%	3.5%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

62.2% family

Family 62.2%

Non family 37.8%

% family households

Emerson 62.2%

Mills County 69.9%

Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.32

persons per household

Emerson

2.32

Mills County

2.63

Iowa

2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Emerson population

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Total households	246	5,394	1,315,707
Average houshold size	2.32	2.63	2.36
Family households	153	3,770	809,836
Average family size	3.03	3.16	2.98
Married couple family	122	3,134	635,347
Other families	31	636	174,489
Male householder	10	175	56,457
Female householder	21	461	118,032
Non-family households	93	1,624	505,871
One-person households	86	1,364	406,436
Male householder	29	562	193,582
Senior (65+) living alone	12	259	58,028
Female householder	57	802	212,854
Senior (65+) living alone	30	511	111,645
Other living arrangements	7	260	99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

282

housing units

Emerson 282

Mills County 6,134

Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

87.2% occupied

Occupied 87.2%

Vacant 12.8%

vacancy rate

Emerson 12.8%

Mills County 12.1%

Iowa 8.5%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

90.8%

Single family houses

90.8%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

Mobile homes

4.3%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1941

Half of houses were built before 1941, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

56%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

17.7%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

21.5%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

4.6%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.2	6.4	5.9
1–3 rooms	5%	5.3%	11.8%
4–6 rooms	51.1%	45.8%	47.4%
7+ rooms	43.9%	49.1%	40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0%	0%	1.7%
1 bedroom	7.8%	7.3%	9.2%
2 bedrooms	30.9%	18.1%	27%
3 bedrooms	44.7%	46.3%	37.3%
4+ bedrooms	16.7%	28.3%	24.7%
At a glance
Median year built	1941	1974	1972
Total housing units	282	6,134	1,437,699

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

82.5% owners

Renter-occupied 17.5%

Owner-occupied 82.5%

homeownership rate

Emerson 82.5%

Mills County 83.5%

Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.42

Owner-occupied

1.84

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Emerson 2.42

Mills County 2.74

Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Total occupied units	246	5,394	1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later	10.1%	23.1%	24.3%
2010 to 2019	37.4%	36.3%	38.7%
2000 to 2009	22.8%	18.5%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	29.7%	22%	20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	100%	99.9%	98.4%
1.01 to 1.50	0%	0.1%	1.1%
1.51 or more	0%	0%	0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	8.9%	4.8%	5.4%
1 vehicle	32.1%	21.7%	30.5%
2 vehicles	37.4%	38.8%	37.8%
3 or more vehicles	21.5%	34.7%	26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas	87.4%	77.2%	72.8%
Electricity	12.6%	20.7%	24.4%
Solar	0%	0%	0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0%	0%	0.3%
All other fuels	0%	1.8%	1.8%
No fuel used	0%	0.3%	0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0%	0.4%	0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen	0%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0%	0.6%	0.8%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$119,500

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Emerson

$119,500

Mills County

$237,800

Iowa

$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

40.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

40.7%

Owners without a mortgage

6.7%

Renters

13.1%

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

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Property value
Median Value	$119,500	$237,800	$208,000
Under $100,000	40.4%	11.2%	17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000	40.4%	25.5%	30%
$200,000 - $300,000	15.8%	24.8%	23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000	3.4%	26.4%	21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	0%	10%	6.8%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	2.1%	1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	55.7%	61.3%	59.4%
Without a mortgage	44.3%	38.7%	40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,188	$1,652	$1,533
Without a mortgage	$458	$647	$616
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,034	$959	$972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

9.9%

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

Emerson 9.9%

Mills County 31%

Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

20.5%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Emerson 20.5%

Mills County 3.4%

Iowa 6.7%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

117

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

10.3%

K–12

82.9%

College / Undergraduate

Graduate / Professional

0.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

8.7%

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

Emerson

8.7%

Mills County

38.3%

Iowa

42.3%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+)	117	3,438	784,322
Nursery / preschool	10.3%	9.5%	6.2%
K–12	82.9%	69.7%	68.4%
Kindergarten	11.1%	4.5%	5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.2%	22.5%	20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	6.8%	21.8%	21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12	42.7%	21%	21.6%
College or graduate school	6.8%	20.7%	25.4%
College, undergraduate	6%	19.1%	20.8%
Graduate, professional school	0.9%	1.7%	4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	8.7%	38.3%	42.3%
School type
Public school	100%	90.7%	84.4%
Private school	0%	9.3%	15.6%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

395

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

7.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

13.2%

HS graduate

35.4%

Some college no degree

22.8%

Associates degree

11.4%

Bachelors degree

8.4%

Graduate or professional degree

1.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

37.9% · 62.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

76.9% · 23.1%

HS graduate

47.1% · 52.9%

Some college no degree

40% · 60%

Associates degree

24.4% · 75.6%

Bachelors degree

33.3% · 66.7%

Graduate or professional degree

33.3% · 66.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Population (25+)	395	10,243	2,154,149
Less than 9th grade	7.3%	1.1%	2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	13.2%	2.3%	4%
High school diploma or GED	35.4%	27.6%	30%
Some college, no degree	22.8%	24.3%	19.7%
Associate's degree	11.4%	13.7%	12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9.9%	31%	31.4%
Bachelor's degree	8.4%	21.4%	20.9%
Graduate or professional	1.5%	9.6%	10.5%
High School or higher	79.5%	96.6%	93.3%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$47,353

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$36,071

HS graduate

$43,750

Some college or associates

$49,167

Bachelors degree

$51,500

Graduate or professional degree

$—

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

16%

HS graduate

Some college or associates

17.8%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Emerson	Mills County	Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$47,353	$56,207	$51,106
Less than high school graduate	$36,071	$40,385	$35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$43,750	$41,769	$41,528
Some college or associate's degree	$49,167	$54,236	$47,635
Bachelor's degree	$51,500	$64,091	$62,744
Graduate or professional degree	$—	$81,875	$80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	16%	24%	21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	5%	12.5%	12.4%
Some college or associate's degree	17.8%	8%	8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher	0%	4.5%	3.8%

Insights for Emerson, 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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