Osceola County, Iowa

County in IA, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

6,100

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

Median Age

43.1

years ∙ half population younger than 43.1, half older

Diversity Index

28.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

5.8%

foreign-born population

94.2%Native

5.8% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Osceola County is a county in Iowa, United States.

Location

County in IA, US

Co-ordinates

DEC43.378542° N, 95.633788° W

DMS43° 22′ 42.75″ N, 95° 38′ 01.64″ W

Population Density & area

15.3/sq mi (5.91/km²)

Total Area

399.4 sq mi (1,034.4 km²)

Land Area

398.7 sq mi (1,032.6 km²) · 99.82%

Water Area

0.7 sq mi (1.8 km²) · 0.18%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

53.3% male

Male 53.3%

Female 46.7%

males per 100 females

Osceola County 114.1

Iowa 100.6

United States 98

Nativity

5.8%

foreign-born population

94.2%Native

5.8% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Osceola County 5.8%

Iowa 5.9%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

43.1

years ∙ half population younger than 43.1, half older

Osceola County

43.1

Iowa

38.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

83.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Osceola County 83.3

Iowa 69.6

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	22.7%	22.9%	22%
Working age (18-64)	54.5%	59%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	22.8%	18.1%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	83.3	69.6	64.4
Child dependency ratio	41.6	38.8	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	41.7	30.7	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

84%

Black

0.5%

Asian

0.6%

Hispanic

10.6%

Other

4.3%

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

28.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Osceola County 28.2%

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 Osceola County population

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	10.6%	7.3%	19.3%
Mexican	8.1%	5%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	2.4%	1.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	89.4%	92.7%	80.7%
One race	86.4%	89.2%	76.4%
White	84%	82.3%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.5%	3.8%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	1.1%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	0.6%	2.5%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.2%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3%	3.5%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

61.3% family

Family 61.3%

Non family 38.7%

% family households

Osceola County 61.3%

Iowa 61.6%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.27

persons per household

Osceola County

2.27

Iowa

2.36

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Osceola County population

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Total households	2,634	1,315,707	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.27	2.36	2.53
Family households	1,614	809,836	82,990,528
Average family size	2.88	2.98	3.14
Married couple family	1,280	635,347	60,637,388
Other families	334	174,489	22,353,140
Male householder	128	56,457	6,572,819
Female householder	206	118,032	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,020	505,871	46,236,968
One-person households	854	406,436	37,140,836
Male householder	489	193,582	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	174	58,028	5,225,110
Female householder	365	212,854	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	255	111,645	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	166	99,435	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

2,868

housing units

Osceola County 2,868

Iowa 1,437,699

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

91.8% occupied

Occupied 91.8%

Vacant 8.2%

vacancy rate

Osceola County 8.2%

Iowa 8.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

89.4%

Single family houses

89.4%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

10.1%

Mobile homes

0.2%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.3%

Median Year Built

1956

Half of houses were built before 1956, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

36.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

32.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

21.3%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

9.4%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.4	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	4.1%	11.8%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	47.3%	47.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	48.6%	40.7%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	0.1%	1.7%	2.9%
1 bedroom	4.6%	9.2%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	22.8%	27%	25%
3 bedrooms	39.8%	37.3%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	32.6%	24.7%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1956	1972	1981
Total housing units	2,868	1,437,699	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

77.9% owners

Renter-occupied 22.1%

Owner-occupied 77.9%

homeownership rate

Osceola County 77.9%

Iowa 71.7%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.34

Owner-occupied

2.01

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Osceola County 2.34

Iowa 2.5

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Total occupied units	2,634	1,315,707	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	15.9%	24.3%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	34.5%	38.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	17.2%	16.4%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	32.4%	20.7%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.1%	98.4%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.9%	1.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0%	0.5%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	1.4%	5.4%	8.4%
1 vehicle	24.6%	30.5%	33.1%
2 vehicles	37.7%	37.8%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	36.3%	26.3%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	73.4%	72.8%	51.4%
Electricity	22.2%	24.4%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	2.5%	0.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	1.5%	1.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.3%	0.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.5%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.6%	0.8%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$122,600

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Osceola County

$122,600

Iowa

$208,000

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

17.4%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

17.4%

Owners without a mortgage

13.6%

Renters

53.3%

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

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Property value
Median Value	$122,600	$208,000	$332,700
Under $100,000	37.1%	17.8%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	30.4%	30%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	13.9%	23.1%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	15.6%	21.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	3.1%	6.8%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0%	1.1%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	40.5%	59.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	59.5%	40.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,237	$1,533	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$525	$616	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$797	$972	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

16.7%

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

Osceola County 16.7%

Iowa 31.4%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

12.7%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Osceola County 12.7%

Iowa 6.7%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

1,250

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

5.7%

K–12

80.7%

College / Undergraduate

11.4%

Graduate / Professional

2.2%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

23.9%

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

Osceola County

23.9%

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

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	1,250	784,322	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5.7%	6.2%	5.7%
K–12	80.7%	68.4%	67.6%
Kindergarten	2.4%	5.2%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	29%	20.3%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	22.1%	21.3%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	27.3%	21.6%	21.7%
College or graduate school	13.6%	25.4%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	11.4%	20.8%	21%
Graduate, professional school	2.2%	4.6%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	23.9%	42.3%	40.9%
School type
Public school	86.7%	84.4%	82%
Private school	13.3%	15.6%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

4,295

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

5.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

HS graduate

37.8%

Some college no degree

20.2%

Associates degree

12.6%

Bachelors degree

12.6%

Graduate or professional degree

4.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

73.3% · 26.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

66% · 34%

HS graduate

56.2% · 43.8%

Some college no degree

43.3% · 56.7%

Associates degree

49.8% · 50.2%

Bachelors degree

45% · 55%

Graduate or professional degree

58.2% · 41.8%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Population (25+)	4,295	2,154,149	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	5.7%	2.7%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	7%	4%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	37.8%	30%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.2%	19.7%	19.1%
Associate's degree	12.6%	12.1%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.7%	31.4%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	12.6%	20.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	4.1%	10.5%	14.1%
High School or higher	87.4%	93.3%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$49,198

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$53,092

HS graduate

$45,625

Some college or associates

$44,167

Bachelors degree

$51,429

Graduate or professional degree

$70,938

Poverty Rate

2.7%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

24.9%

HS graduate

10.3%

Some college or associates

13.2%

Bachelors degree or higher

2.7%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Osceola County	Iowa	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$49,198	$51,106	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$53,092	$35,996	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$45,625	$41,528	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$44,167	$47,635	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$51,429	$62,744	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$70,938	$80,022	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	24.9%	21.5%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	10.3%	12.4%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	13.2%	8.1%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	2.7%	3.8%	4.5%

Insights for Osceola 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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