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Nichols, IA

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

373
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

32.8
years ∙ half population younger than 32.8, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
23.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

4%
foreign-born population
96%Native
4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Nichols is a city within Muscatine County, Iowa, United States.
Location
City in Muscatine County, IA, US
Co-ordinates
DEC41.479667° N, 91.307970° W
DMS41° 28′ 46.80″ N, 91° 18′ 28.69″ W

Population Density & area

1,636/sq mi (632.2/km²)
Total Area
0.228 sq mi (0.59 km²)
Land Area
0.228 sq mi (0.59 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

50.1% male
Male 50.1%
Female 49.9%
males per 100 females
Nichols 100.5
Muscatine County 101.2
Iowa 100.6

Nativity

4%
foreign-born population
96%Native
4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Nichols 4%
Muscatine County 6.8%
Iowa 5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

32.8
years ∙ half population younger than 32.8, half older
Nichols
32.8
Muscatine County
39.6
Iowa
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
77.6
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Nichols 77.6
Muscatine County 72.3
Iowa 69.6

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 24.4% 23.9% 22.9%
Working age (18-64) 56.3% 58% 59%
Senior (65+) 19.3% 18.1% 18.1%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 77.6 72.3 69.6
Child dependency ratio 43.3 41.2 38.8
Old-age dependency ratio 34.3 31.1 30.7
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
86.6%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
12.9%
Other
0.5%
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
23.3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nichols 23.3%
Muscatine County 40.1%
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 Nichols population
Racial and ethnic composition — Nichols vs Muscatine County vs Iowa. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Hispanic or Latino 12.9% 18.8% 7.3%
Mexican 12.9% 14.2% 5%
Puerto Rican 0% 0.5% 0.3%
Cuban 0% 0.2% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0% 3.8% 1.8%
Not Hispanic or Latino 87.1% 81.2% 92.7%
One race 86.6% 78.1% 89.2%
White 86.6% 75% 82.3%
Black or African American 0% 2.2% 3.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0.1% 0.2%
Asian 0% 0.6% 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) 0.5% 3.1% 3.5%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

75.8% family
Family 75.8%
Non family 24.2%
% family households
Nichols 75.8%
Muscatine County 64.2%
Iowa 61.6%

Average household size

2.38
persons per household
Nichols
2.38
Muscatine County
2.41
Iowa
2.36

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Nichols population
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Total households 157 17,345 1,315,707
Average houshold size 2.38 2.41 2.36
Family households 119 11,135 809,836
Average family size 2.64 2.98 2.98
Married couple family 77 7,869 635,347
Other families 42 3,266 174,489
Male householder 18 1,092 56,457
Female householder 24 2,174 118,032
Non-family households 38 6,210 505,871
One-person households 32 4,797 406,436
Male householder 22 2,433 193,582
Senior (65+) living alone 10 846 58,028
Female householder 10 2,364 212,854
Senior (65+) living alone 8 1,495 111,645
Other living arrangements 6 1,413 99,435

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

198
housing units
Nichols 198
Muscatine County 18,454
Iowa 1,437,699

Occupancy status

79.3% occupied
Occupied 79.3%
Vacant 20.7%
vacancy rate
Nichols 20.7%
Muscatine County 6%
Iowa 8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

83.8%
Single family houses
Single family houses
83.8%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
12.2%
Mobile homes
4%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1938
Half of houses were built before 1938, and half after.
* The Census Bureau did not report an exact median year built for Nichols the estimate falls at or before 1939, the lower limit of the survey's reporting range.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
57.1%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
25.3%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
14.2%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
3.5%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 6.4 5.9 5.9
1–3 rooms 2% 9.7% 11.8%
4–6 rooms 50.1% 50% 47.4%
7+ rooms 47.9% 40.2% 40.7%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 0% 1.2% 1.7%
1 bedroom 2% 8.6% 9.2%
2 bedrooms 28.8% 27.5% 27%
3 bedrooms 37.9% 40.3% 37.3%
4+ bedrooms 31.3% 22.4% 24.7%
At a glance
Median year built 1938 1970 1972
Total housing units 198 18,454 1,437,699
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

81.5% owners
Renter-occupied 18.5%
Owner-occupied 81.5%
homeownership rate
Nichols 81.5%
Muscatine County 73.9%
Iowa 71.7%

Average household size

2.35
Owner-occupied
2.48
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Nichols 2.35
Muscatine County 2.54
Iowa 2.5

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Total occupied units 157 17,345 1,315,707
Year moved in
2020 or later 15.3% 22.3% 24.3%
2010 to 2019 19.7% 36.4% 38.7%
2000 to 2009 26.8% 17.2% 16.4%
1999 or earlier 38.2% 24.1% 20.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 100% 98.4% 98.4%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 1% 1.1%
1.51 or more 0% 0.7% 0.5%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 1.3% 3.8% 5.4%
1 vehicle 35.7% 32.5% 30.5%
2 vehicles 32.5% 35.4% 37.8%
3 or more vehicles 30.6% 28.3% 26.3%
House heating fuel used
Gas 84% 81.1% 72.8%
Electricity 15.9% 17.3% 24.4%
Solar 0% 0.1% 0.1%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0% 0.3%
All other fuels 0% 0.8% 1.8%
No fuel used 0% 0.7% 0.6%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.5% 0.3%
Lacking complete kitchen 0% 1% 0.8%
No telephone service available 0% 0.4% 0.8%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$134,400
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Nichols
$134,400
Muscatine County
$182,100
Iowa
$208,000

Housing Cost Burden

21.4%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
21.4%
Owners without a mortgage
0%
Renters
30.8%
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
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Property value
Median Value $134,400 $182,100 $208,000
Under $100,000 25% 18.3% 17.8%
$100,000 - $200,000 65.6% 36.5% 30%
$200,000 - $300,000 7% 22.5% 23.1%
$300,000 - $500,000 1.6% 17% 21.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0% 3.8% 6.8%
$1,000,000 and more 0.8% 1.9% 1.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 58.6% 58.7% 59.4%
Without a mortgage 41.4% 41.3% 40.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,319 $1,424 $1,533
Without a mortgage $475 $628 $616
Gross rent
Median rent $689 $971 $972

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

10%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Nichols 10%
Muscatine County 23.1%
Iowa 31.4%

Adults without a high school diploma

4.6%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Nichols 4.6%
Muscatine County 10.3%
Iowa 6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

69
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
21.7%
K–12
73.9%
College / Undergraduate
0%
Graduate / Professional
4.3%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

0%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Nichols
0%
Muscatine County
18.9%
Iowa
42.3%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Total enrolled (age 3+) 69 9,234 784,322
Nursery / preschool 21.7% 8.9% 6.2%
K–12 73.9% 76.6% 68.4%
Kindergarten 7.2% 3.1% 5.2%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 27.5% 21.7% 20.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 29% 28% 21.3%
High School: Grades 9–12 10.1% 23.8% 21.6%
College or graduate school 4.3% 14.5% 25.4%
College, undergraduate 0% 10.3% 20.8%
Graduate, professional school 4.3% 4.3% 4.6%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 0% 18.9% 42.3%
School type
Public school 100% 88.1% 84.4%
Private school 0% 11.9% 15.6%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

259
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
2.3%
9th-12th, no diploma
2.3%
HS graduate
41.3%
Some college no degree
23.6%
Associates degree
20.5%
Bachelors degree
9.7%
Graduate or professional degree
0.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
50% · 50%
9th-12th, no diploma
83.3% · 16.7%
HS graduate
52.3% · 47.7%
Some college no degree
36.1% · 63.9%
Associates degree
75.5% · 24.5%
Bachelors degree
28% · 72%
Graduate or professional degree
100% · 0%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Population (25+) 259 28,892 2,154,149
Less than 9th grade 2.3% 3.3% 2.7%
9th–12th, no diploma 2.3% 7% 4%
High school diploma or GED 41.3% 34.9% 30%
Some college, no degree 23.6% 20.2% 19.7%
Associate's degree 20.5% 11.4% 12.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 10% 23.1% 31.4%
Bachelor's degree 9.7% 15.9% 20.9%
Graduate or professional 0.4% 7.2% 10.5%
High School or higher 95.4% 89.7% 93.3%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$49,279
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$42,500
HS graduate
$42,500
Some college or associates
$51,375
Bachelors degree
$51,250
Graduate or professional degree
$—

Poverty Rate

0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
0%
HS graduate
7.5%
Some college or associates
1.8%
Bachelors degree or higher
0%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Nichols Muscatine County Iowa
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $49,279 $47,072 $51,106
Less than high school graduate $42,500 $34,066 $35,996
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $42,500 $43,706 $41,528
Some college or associate's degree $51,375 $44,716 $47,635
Bachelor's degree $51,250 $57,734 $62,744
Graduate or professional degree $— $75,065 $80,022
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 0% 21.5% 21.5%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 7.5% 15.8% 12.4%
Some college or associate's degree 1.8% 6.9% 8.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher 0% 5.6% 3.8%

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