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O'Brien County, Iowa
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
14,126
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
39.5
years ∙ half population younger than 39.5, half older
Diversity Index
23.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
4.4%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
50%
male
Male
50%
Female
50%
males per 100 females
O'Brien County
99.8
Iowa
100.6
United States
98
Nativity
4.4%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
O'Brien County
4.4%
Iowa
5.9%
United States
14.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
39.5
years ∙ half population younger than 39.5, half older
Dependency ratio
83.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
O'Brien County
83.7
Iowa
69.6
United States
64.4
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 24.4% | 22.9% | 22% |
| Working age (18-64) | 54.4% | 59% | 60.8% |
| Senior (65+) | 21.2% | 18.1% | 17.2% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 83.7 | 69.6 | 64.4 |
| Child dependency ratio | 44.8 | 38.8 | 36.1 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 38.9 | 30.7 | 28.3 |
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
23.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
O'Brien County
23.6%
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 O'Brien County population
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 7.6% | 7.3% | 19.3% |
| Mexican | 1.9% | 5% | 11.3% |
| Puerto Rican | 1.5% | 0.3% | 1.8% |
| Cuban | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 4% | 1.8% | 5.5% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 92.4% | 92.7% | 80.7% |
| One race | 89.8% | 89.2% | 76.4% |
| White | 87% | 82.3% | 57.4% |
| Black or African American | 1.7% | 3.8% | 11.9% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Asian | 0.7% | 2.5% | 5.9% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Some Other Race | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 2.6% | 3.5% | 4.3% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
64.3%
family
Family
64.3%
Non family
35.7%
% family households
O'Brien County
64.3%
Iowa
61.6%
United States
64.2%
Average household size
2.36
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of O'Brien County population
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 5,809 | 1,315,707 | 129,227,496 |
| Average houshold size | 2.36 | 2.36 | 2.53 |
| Family households | 3,737 | 809,836 | 82,990,528 |
| Average family size | 2.96 | 2.98 | 3.14 |
| Married couple family | 3,224 | 635,347 | 60,637,388 |
| Other families | 513 | 174,489 | 22,353,140 |
| Male householder | 216 | 56,457 | 6,572,819 |
| Female householder | 297 | 118,032 | 15,780,321 |
| Non-family households | 2,072 | 505,871 | 46,236,968 |
| One-person households | 1,767 | 406,436 | 37,140,836 |
| Male householder | 912 | 193,582 | 16,871,444 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 308 | 58,028 | 5,225,110 |
| Female householder | 855 | 212,854 | 20,269,392 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 618 | 111,645 | 10,089,070 |
| Other living arrangements | 305 | 99,435 | 9,096,132 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
6,564
housing units
O'Brien County
6,564
Iowa
1,437,699
United States
143,775,355
Occupancy status
88.5%
occupied
Occupied
88.5%
Vacant
11.5%
vacancy rate
O'Brien County
11.5%
Iowa
8.5%
United States
10.1%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
85.9%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1959
Half of houses were built before 1959, 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
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 6.3 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
| 1–3 rooms | 9.5% | 11.8% | 15.1% |
| 4–6 rooms | 42.7% | 47.4% | 51.6% |
| 7+ rooms | 47.7% | 40.7% | 33.4% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 0.6% | 1.7% | 2.9% |
| 1 bedroom | 7.1% | 9.2% | 10.9% |
| 2 bedrooms | 28.9% | 27% | 25% |
| 3 bedrooms | 32.5% | 37.3% | 38.7% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 30.8% | 24.7% | 22.4% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1959 | 1972 | 1981 |
| Total housing units | 6,564 | 1,437,699 | 143,775,355 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
76.1%
owners
Renter-occupied
23.9%
Owner-occupied
76.1%
homeownership rate
O'Brien County
76.1%
Iowa
71.7%
United States
65.2%
Average household size
2.45
Owner-occupied
2.08
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
O'Brien County
2.45
Iowa
2.5
United States
2.64
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 5,809 | 1,315,707 | 129,227,496 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 22.8% | 24.3% | 24.8% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 34.1% | 38.7% | 39.6% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 16.9% | 16.4% | 16.4% |
| 1999 or earlier | 26.2% | 20.7% | 19.1% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 98.7% | 98.4% | 96.6% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 1.3% | 1.1% | 2.2% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 4.7% | 5.4% | 8.4% |
| 1 vehicle | 26.5% | 30.5% | 33.1% |
| 2 vehicles | 36.1% | 37.8% | 36.6% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 32.7% | 26.3% | 21.9% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 66% | 72.8% | 51.4% |
| Electricity | 32% | 24.4% | 41.3% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.3% | 3.9% |
| All other fuels | 1.3% | 1.8% | 2% |
| No fuel used | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
| No telephone service available | 0.1% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$173,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
21.8%
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
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $173,100 | $208,000 | $332,700 |
| Under $100,000 | 24.1% | 17.8% | 11.4% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 36% | 30% | 15.8% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 20.8% | 23.1% | 17.8% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 15.6% | 21.3% | 26.9% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 3% | 6.8% | 20.9% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0.6% | 1.1% | 7.1% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 50.2% | 59.4% | 60.6% |
| Without a mortgage | 49.8% | 40.6% | 39.4% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,357 | $1,533 | $1,963 |
| Without a mortgage | $525 | $616 | $638 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $868 | $972 | $1,413 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
22%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
O'Brien County
22%
Iowa
31.4%
United States
35.7%
Adults without a high school diploma
9.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
O'Brien County
9.5%
Iowa
6.7%
United States
10.4%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
3,132
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
31.2%
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
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 3,132 | 784,322 | 80,089,790 |
| Nursery / preschool | 7.8% | 6.2% | 5.7% |
| K–12 | 74.3% | 68.4% | 67.6% |
| Kindergarten | 7% | 5.2% | 5% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 21.1% | 20.3% | 19.8% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 27.8% | 21.3% | 21% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 18.4% | 21.6% | 21.7% |
| College or graduate school | 17.8% | 25.4% | 26.7% |
| College, undergraduate | 14% | 20.8% | 21% |
| Graduate, professional school | 3.8% | 4.6% | 5.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 31.2% | 42.3% | 40.9% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 81.2% | 84.4% | 82% |
| Private school | 18.8% | 15.6% | 18% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
9,643
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+
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 9,643 | 2,154,149 | 230,807,303 |
| Less than 9th grade | 2.6% | 2.7% | 4.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 6.9% | 4% | 5.7% |
| High school diploma or GED | 33.8% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college, no degree | 18.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate's degree | 15.8% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22% | 31.4% | 35.7% |
| Bachelor's degree | 17.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate or professional | 4.9% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
| High School or higher | 90.5% | 93.3% | 89.6% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$46,924
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
5.6%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| O'Brien County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $46,924 | $51,106 | $52,696 |
| Less than high school graduate | $38,523 | $35,996 | $32,485 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $42,247 | $41,528 | $40,153 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $46,513 | $47,635 | $47,260 |
| Bachelor's degree | $49,540 | $62,744 | $70,044 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $62,371 | $80,022 | $90,720 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 11.3% | 21.5% | 24.2% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 16.6% | 12.4% | 14.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 8.2% | 8.1% | 9.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 5.6% | 3.8% | 4.5% |
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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