DES MOINES, Iowa – The U.S. Census Bureau released state data on Thursday, and Iowa has grown 4.7 percent since 2010 with a population of 3,207,031.
The metropolitan areas in Iowa have seen growth while most rural counties have declined except for some northwest Iowa counties (Sioux, Lyon, and Plymouth counties saw growth).
The Des Moines Metro saw significant growth.
Polk County grew by 14.3 percent and has the state’s largest population at 492,401. Neighboring Dallas County grew by 50.7 percent to 99,678.
Des Moines saw slow growth, only growing by 5.2 percent to a population of 214,133. Ankeny is responsible for the lion’s share of the Metro’s growth, increasing its population by 48.9 percent to 67,887. Bondurant is the fastest growing city in the Metro with a growth rate of 90.8 percent bringing its population to 7,365. Waukee grew by 73.6 percent to 23,940. Grimes grew by 86.6 percent to 15,392. West Des Moines grew by 21.3 percent to 68,723. Urbandale and Pleasant Hill grew by 15.5 percent.
Johnson County grew by 16.8 percent to 152,854.
Tiffin in Johnson County saw the highest growth rate in the state at 131.7 percent, growing to 4,512. North Liberty grew by 53.1 percent to 20,479. Solon grew by 48.2 percent to 3,018. Coralville grew by 18 percent to 22,318. Iowa City grew by 10.3 percent to 74,828.
Linn County grew by nine percent to 230,299. Two small towns in Linn County – Palo and Fairfax – had the most significant growth rates in the county, 37.1 percent and 33.2 percent, respectively. Cedar Rapids grew by nine percent bring Iowa’s second-largest city’s population to 137,710. Marion saw a 19.4 percent growth rate increasing its population to 41,535.
Black Hawk County (Waterloo and Cedar Falls) grew, barely, by 54 people to 131,144. Scott County (Davenport and Bettendorf) by 5.7 percent to 174,669. Dubuque County (Dubuque) grew by six percent to 99,266. Woodbury County (Sioux City) grew by 3.7 percent to 105,941. Pottawattamie County (Council Bluffs) grew by 509 residents to 93,667. Story County (Ames) grew by 10 percent to 98,537.
Some counties just dropped by fewer than 100 people to over 2,000 people.
Iowa’s least populated county with 3,704 people declined by 8.1 percent. Clinton County lost 5.4 percent of its population. Hardin County dropped by 3.7 percent. Cerro Gordo County (Mason City) decreased by 2.3 percent. Webster County (Ft. Dodge) saw a 2.7 percent decline in its population.
