Linn County, Iowa

County in IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

230,004

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

31.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

5.6%

foreign-born population

94.4%Native

5.6% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Linn County is a county in Iowa, United States.

Location

County in IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC42.077951° N, 91.597674° W

DMS42° 04′ 40.62″ N, 91° 35′ 51.63″ W

Population Density & area

320.8/sq mi (123.9/km²)

Total Area

724.7 sq mi (1,876.9 km²)

Land Area

717 sq mi (1,857.1 km²) · 98.9%

Water Area

7.7 sq mi (19.8 km²) · 1.1%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.3% male

Male 49.3%

Female 50.7%

males per 100 females

Linn County 97.4

Iowa 100.6

United States 98

Nativity

5.6%

foreign-born population

94.4%Native

5.6% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Linn County 5.6%

Iowa 5.9%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 39, half older

Linn County

Iowa

38.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

66.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Linn County 66.3

Iowa 69.6

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.5%	22.9%	22%
Working age (18-64)	60.2%	59%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	17.3%	18.1%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	66.3	69.6	64.4
Child dependency ratio	37.5	38.8	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	28.8	30.7	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

82.4%

Black

5.9%

Asian

2.4%

Hispanic

4.1%

Other

5.2%

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

31.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Linn County 31.3%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 61.4%

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 Linn County population

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4.1%	7.3%	19.3%
Mexican	2.9%	5%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.3%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.8%	1.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	95.9%	92.7%	80.7%
One race	91.2%	89.2%	76.4%
White	82.4%	82.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	5.9%	3.8%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	2.4%	2.5%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.4%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	4.7%	3.5%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61.9% family

Family 61.9%

Non family 38.1%

% family households

Linn County 61.9%

Iowa 61.6%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.35

persons per household

Linn County

2.35

Iowa

2.36

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Linn County population

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Total households	95,600	1,315,707	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.35	2.36	2.53
Family households	59,159	809,836	82,990,528
Average family size	2.95	2.98	3.14
Married couple family	45,325	635,347	60,637,388
Other families	13,834	174,489	22,353,140
Male householder	4,404	56,457	6,572,819
Female householder	9,430	118,032	15,780,321
Non-family households	36,441	505,871	46,236,968
One-person households	29,343	406,436	37,140,836
Male householder	14,011	193,582	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	3,567	58,028	5,225,110
Female householder	15,332	212,854	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	7,394	111,645	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	7,098	99,435	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

103,104

housing units

Linn County 103,104

Iowa 1,437,699

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

92.7% occupied

Occupied 92.7%

Vacant 7.3%

vacancy rate

Linn County 7.3%

Iowa 8.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

72%

Single family houses

72%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

24.7%

Mobile homes

3.4%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1978

Half of houses were built before 1978, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

13.7%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

25.6%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

33.7%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

27%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.9	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	12.9%	11.8%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	46.6%	47.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	40.6%	40.7%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.7%	1.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	9.7%	9.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	25.2%	27%	25%
3 bedrooms	37.9%	37.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	25.6%	24.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1978	1972	1981
Total housing units	103,104	1,437,699	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

73.5% owners

Renter-occupied 26.5%

Owner-occupied 73.5%

homeownership rate

Linn County 73.5%

Iowa 71.7%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.48

Owner-occupied

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Linn County 2.48

Iowa 2.5

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Total occupied units	95,600	1,315,707	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	25.1%	24.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	41.1%	38.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.5%	16.4%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	17.3%	20.7%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.9%	98.4%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.7%	1.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.4%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	4.9%	5.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	32.3%	30.5%	33.1%
2 vehicles	40%	37.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	22.9%	26.3%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	79.1%	72.8%	51.4%
Electricity	19.3%	24.4%	41.3%
Solar	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.2%	0.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.7%	1.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.6%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.2%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.6%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.7%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$214,300

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Linn County

$214,300

Iowa

$208,000

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

21%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

21%

Owners without a mortgage

11.8%

Renters

44.8%

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

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Property value
Median Value	$214,300	$208,000	$332,700
Under $100,000	9%	17.8%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	36.5%	30%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	25.8%	23.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	21.8%	21.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	5.6%	6.8%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.1%	1.1%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	64.6%	59.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	35.4%	40.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,584	$1,533	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$693	$616	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$945	$972	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

34.7%

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

Linn County 34.7%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.8%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Linn County 4.8%

Iowa 6.7%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

54,719

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

6.9%

K–12

70.5%

College / Undergraduate

19%

Graduate / Professional

3.7%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

38.9%

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

Linn County

38.9%

Iowa

42.3%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

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

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	54,719	784,322	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	6.9%	6.2%	5.7%
K–12	70.5%	68.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	5%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	19.6%	20.3%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.8%	21.3%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	23%	21.6%	21.7%
College or graduate school	22.6%	25.4%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	19%	20.8%	21%
Graduate, professional school	3.7%	4.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	38.9%	42.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	80.7%	84.4%	82%
Private school	19.3%	15.6%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

157,534

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.3%

9th-12th, no diploma

3.5%

HS graduate

26.4%

Some college no degree

20.9%

Associates degree

13.1%

Bachelors degree

23.3%

Graduate or professional degree

11.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

49.1% · 50.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

53.6% · 46.4%

HS graduate

51.9% · 48.1%

Some college no degree

48% · 52%

Associates degree

44.1% · 55.9%

Bachelors degree

47.7% · 52.3%

Graduate or professional degree

50.2% · 49.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Population (25+)	157,534	2,154,149	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	1.3%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	3.5%	4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	26.4%	30%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.9%	19.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	13.1%	12.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	34.7%	31.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	23.3%	20.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	11.4%	10.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	95.2%	93.3%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$52,326

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$32,711

HS graduate

$39,092

Some college or associates

$48,075

Bachelors degree

$66,441

Graduate or professional degree

$86,348

Poverty Rate

3.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

21.3%

HS graduate

11.1%

Some college or associates

Bachelors degree or higher

3.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Linn County	Iowa	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$52,326	$51,106	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$32,711	$35,996	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$39,092	$41,528	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$48,075	$47,635	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$66,441	$62,744	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$86,348	$80,022	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	21.3%	21.5%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	11.1%	12.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	8%	8.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.5%	3.8%	4.5%

Insights for Linn County, 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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