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Johnston, IA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
24,384
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
37.4
years ∙ half population younger than 37.4, half older
Diversity Index
40.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
9.5%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Johnston is a city within Polk County, Iowa, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC41.691950° N, 93.724456° W
DMS41° 41′ 31.02″ N, 93° 43′ 28.04″ W
Population Density & area
1,250/sq mi
(482.9/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
48.4%
male
Male
48.4%
Female
51.6%
males per 100 females
Johnston
93.8
Polk County
99.1
Iowa
100.6
Nativity
9.5%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Johnston
9.5%
Polk County
10.1%
Iowa
5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
37.4
years ∙ half population younger than 37.4, half older
Dependency ratio
84.5
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Johnston
84.5
Polk County
62.2
Iowa
69.6
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 30.5% | 24.4% | 22.9% |
| Working age (18-64) | 54.2% | 61.6% | 59% |
| Senior (65+) | 15.3% | 14% | 18.1% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 84.5 | 62.2 | 69.6 |
| Child dependency ratio | 56.2 | 39.5 | 38.8 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 28.3 | 22.6 | 30.7 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
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
40.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Johnston
40.5%
Polk County
44.4%
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 Johnston population
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.7% | 10.4% | 7.3% |
| Mexican | 1.9% | 7% | 5% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 0.7% | 2.6% | 1.8% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 97.3% | 89.6% | 92.7% |
| One race | 93.9% | 85.8% | 89.2% |
| White | 75.9% | 73.2% | 82.3% |
| Black or African American | 10.6% | 7.3% | 3.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 7.3% | 4.9% | 2.5% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0.2% |
| Some Other Race | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.5% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
70.7%
family
Family
70.7%
Non family
29.3%
% family households
Johnston
70.7%
Polk County
60.6%
Iowa
61.6%
Average household size
2.61
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Johnston population
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 9,259 | 205,358 | 1,315,707 |
| Average houshold size | 2.61 | 2.41 | 2.36 |
| Family households | 6,549 | 124,487 | 809,836 |
| Average family size | 3.14 | 3.07 | 2.98 |
| Married couple family | 5,361 | 93,161 | 635,347 |
| Other families | 1,188 | 31,326 | 174,489 |
| Male householder | 277 | 9,355 | 56,457 |
| Female householder | 911 | 21,971 | 118,032 |
| Non-family households | 2,710 | 80,871 | 505,871 |
| One-person households | 2,233 | 64,069 | 406,436 |
| Male householder | 726 | 29,164 | 193,582 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 249 | 6,886 | 58,028 |
| Female householder | 1,507 | 34,905 | 212,854 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 907 | 14,587 | 111,645 |
| Other living arrangements | 477 | 16,802 | 99,435 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
9,720
housing units
Johnston
9,720
Polk County
218,486
Iowa
1,437,699
Occupancy status
95.3%
occupied
Occupied
95.3%
Vacant
4.7%
vacancy rate
Johnston
4.7%
Polk County
6%
Iowa
8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
70.5%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
2004
Half of houses were built before 2004, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 6.6 | 5.6 | 5.9 |
| 1–3 rooms | 16.3% | 15.8% | 11.8% |
| 4–6 rooms | 32.5% | 48.8% | 47.4% |
| 7+ rooms | 51.1% | 35.4% | 40.7% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 1.1% | 2.4% | 1.7% |
| 1 bedroom | 8.6% | 10.4% | 9.2% |
| 2 bedrooms | 22.7% | 29.2% | 27% |
| 3 bedrooms | 26.9% | 34.8% | 37.3% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 40.8% | 23.1% | 24.7% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 2004 | 1982 | 1972 |
| Total housing units | 9,720 | 218,486 | 1,437,699 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
70.8%
owners
Renter-occupied
29.2%
Owner-occupied
70.8%
homeownership rate
Johnston
70.8%
Polk County
67.4%
Iowa
71.7%
Average household size
2.74
Owner-occupied
2.29
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Johnston
2.74
Polk County
2.6
Iowa
2.5
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 9,259 | 205,358 | 1,315,707 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 29.3% | 29% | 24.3% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 44.3% | 41.2% | 38.7% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 18% | 14.9% | 16.4% |
| 1999 or earlier | 8.4% | 14.9% | 20.7% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 98% | 97.6% | 98.4% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 0.9% | 1.8% | 1.1% |
| 1.51 or more | 1.2% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 2.5% | 5.8% | 5.4% |
| 1 vehicle | 29.1% | 33.5% | 30.5% |
| 2 vehicles | 47% | 39.3% | 37.8% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 21.4% | 21.3% | 26.3% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 68% | 68% | 72.8% |
| Electricity | 30.9% | 30.7% | 24.4% |
| Solar | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| All other fuels | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.8% |
| No fuel used | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| No telephone service available | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.8% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$369,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
16.6%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
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
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $369,100 | $262,100 | $208,000 |
| Under $100,000 | 1.6% | 7.5% | 17.8% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 3.5% | 22.6% | 30% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 27.5% | 30% | 23.1% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 46.6% | 30.6% | 21.3% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 18.7% | 8.2% | 6.8% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 2.2% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 66.7% | 69.9% | 59.4% |
| Without a mortgage | 33.3% | 30.1% | 40.6% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $2,361 | $1,741 | $1,533 |
| Without a mortgage | $815 | $714 | $616 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,338 | $1,149 | $972 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
57.8%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Johnston
57.8%
Polk County
40.3%
Iowa
31.4%
Adults without a high school diploma
3.1%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Johnston
3.1%
Polk County
7.5%
Iowa
6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
7,610
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
31.6%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 7,610 | 121,306 | 784,322 |
| Nursery / preschool | 3.2% | 6.3% | 6.2% |
| K–12 | 79.6% | 72.1% | 68.4% |
| Kindergarten | 2.6% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 27.5% | 21.7% | 20.3% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 26.6% | 22.5% | 21.3% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 22.8% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| College or graduate school | 17.2% | 21.6% | 25.4% |
| College, undergraduate | 14.1% | 16.4% | 20.8% |
| Graduate, professional school | 3.1% | 5.2% | 4.6% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 31.6% | 32.1% | 42.3% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 93.8% | 82.9% | 84.4% |
| Private school | 6.2% | 17.1% | 15.6% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
15,431
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 15,431 | 336,387 | 2,154,149 |
| Less than 9th grade | 0.7% | 3.9% | 2.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 2.4% | 3.6% | 4% |
| High school diploma or GED | 13.7% | 23.7% | 30% |
| Some college, no degree | 18% | 18.5% | 19.7% |
| Associate's degree | 7.4% | 10.1% | 12.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 57.8% | 40.3% | 31.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 35.8% | 27.1% | 20.9% |
| Graduate or professional | 22% | 13.1% | 10.5% |
| High School or higher | 96.9% | 92.5% | 93.3% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$76,986
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
1.2%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Johnston | Polk County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $76,986 | $55,356 | $51,106 |
| Less than high school graduate | $56,113 | $32,348 | $35,996 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $48,354 | $41,598 | $41,528 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $55,811 | $51,918 | $47,635 |
| Bachelor's degree | $86,534 | $70,173 | $62,744 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $104,425 | $86,683 | $80,022 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 44.3% | 23.6% | 21.5% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 20.2% | 13% | 12.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 4.6% | 7.2% | 8.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 1.2% | 3.3% | 3.8% |
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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