Cass County, Iowa Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Cass County, Iowa, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Cass County, Iowa. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Cass County, Iowa. The estimated population of Cass County, Iowa is 13,158 people, with a median age of 44.2.

We can look at the total population in Cass County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
13,158
+1.29%
-1.27%
2020
12,990
 -0.77% -
2019
13,091
 -0.76% -
2018
13,191
 -1.02% -
2017
13,327
 - -

Population of Cass County, Iowa by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
94.5%
95.8%
 -1.36%
Black/African American
0.7%
0.3%
 +133.33%
Native
0.1%
0.1%
 0.00%
Hispanic
3.1%
2.4%
 +29.17%
Asian
0.3%
0.5%
 -40.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.2%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
1.2%
0.7%
 +71.43%
Other
0%
0%
 0.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Cass County, Iowa by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 44.2 -2.21% 43.4 -0.91% 46.5 -3.53%
2020 45.2 +0.67% 43.8 +0.69% 48.2 -0.21%
2019 44.9 0% 43.5 0% 48.3 +0.42%
2018 44.9 +0.67% 43.5 +0.93% 48.1 +2.56%
2017 44.6 - 43.1 - 46.9 -

The median age of Cass County, Iowa gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 835 -7.16% 866 -10.1% 764 777
10 to 19 845 +9.45% 666 +16.42% 924 777
20 to 29 698 -9.76% 620 -0.67% 631 614
30 to 39 728 -4.68% 708 -15.02% 692 607
40 to 49 766 +17.76% 733 +0.9% 907 739
50 to 59 952 -5.18% 1,012 -22.89% 896 799
60 to 69 895 +5.03% 881 +17.31% 936 1,040
70+ 867 +0.97% 1,255 -5.9% 875 1,180

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Cass County, Iowa is $55,395.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Cass County.

  • Under 25
    $24,279.00
  • 25 to 44
    $66,695.00
  • 45 to 64
    $61,909.00
  • 65 and over
    $42,978.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Cass County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Cass County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Cass County, Iowa is currently $74,546.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

4.95% of households in Cass County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Cass County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.81%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    23.28%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.45%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.58%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    11.96%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    3.96%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.95%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Cass County is $32,934.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Cass County by the total population of Cass County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Cass County, Iowa, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Cass County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    6.19%
  • Bachelor's degree
    24.00%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    17.56%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    48.27%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.99%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Cass County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Cass County over the age of 16 is 10,569.

Of those people, a total of 62.20% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Cass County is 61.10%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 653 49.90% 4.90%
20 to 24 years 568 92.80% 1.10%
25 to 29 years 677 90.30% 0.80%
30 to 34 years 637 74.70% 1.70%
35 to 44 years 1,591 83.60% 1.90%
45 to 54 years 1,475 82.50% 0.60%
55 to 59 years 937 86.70% 3.70%
60 to 64 years 1,067 60.20% 1.10%
65 to 74 years 1,605 31.40% 2.00%
75 years and over 1,359 9.20% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Cass County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 10,305 62.20% 1.80%
Black or African American 48 41.70% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaska Native 13 61.50% 0.00%
Asian 30 46.70% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 89 83.10% 0.00%
Two or more races 84 54.80% 2.20%
Hispanic or Latino 320 81.30% 0.00%
Not Hispanic or Latino 10,082 61.70% 1.80%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Cass County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Cass County is 6,456, with median earnings of $35,349.00.

Women in Cass County, Iowa earning approximately 68.70% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 6,456 $35,349.00
Male 3,578 $41,589.00
Female 2,878 $28,557.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 652 $61,204.00
Business and Financial 165 $66,250.00
Computer and Mathematical 23 $77,361.00
Architecture and Engineering 48 $71,667.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 26 $66,563.00
Community and Social Service 29 $34,375.00
Legal 33 $147,708.00
Educational and Library 498 $39,300.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 211 $43,542.00
Healthcare Practitioners 412 $54,000.00
Healthcare Support 308 $25,455.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 26 $10,278.00
Law Enforcement 39 $77,981.00
Food Preparation and Serving 343 $10,231.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 229 $25,653.00
Personal Care and Service 96 $20,536.00
Sales 683 $37,159.00
Office and Administrative Support 741 $31,488.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 163 $28,733.00
Construction and Extraction 283 $47,422.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 282 $46,500.00
Production 571 $38,203.00
Transportation and Material Moving 241 $42,750.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 510 $67,197.00 142 $40,882.00
Business and Financial 57 $75,550.00 108 $65,441.00
Computer and Mathematical 20 $103,750.00 3 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 17 $72,361.00 31 $69,306.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 0 $0.00 26 $66,563.00
Community and Social Service 1 $0.00 28 $34,500.00
Legal 25 $149,375.00 8 $0.00
Educational and Library 158 $44,000.00 340 $29,286.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 31 $70,208.00 180 $35,313.00
Healthcare Practitioners 125 $82,125.00 287 $36,890.00
Healthcare Support 48 $33,906.00 260 $25,045.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 12 $0.00 14 $0.00
Law Enforcement 39 $77,981.00 0 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 214 $11,964.00 129 $7,639.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 140 $26,625.00 89 $15,583.00
Personal Care and Service 14 $0.00 82 $17,500.00
Sales 356 $48,158.00 327 $20,781.00
Office and Administrative Support 130 $37,625.00 611 $30,478.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 144 $28,480.00 19 $42,625.00
Construction and Extraction 283 $47,422.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 276 $46,500.00 6 $0.00
Production 472 $41,354.00 99 $11,691.00
Transportation and Material Moving 232 $43,500.00 9 $0.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 5,777 households in Cass County, with an average household size of 2.24 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 3,429 families in Cass County with an average family size of 2.9 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 2,774 222 433 2,348
Average Household Size 2.94 3.16 3.09 1.16
Total Families 2,774 222 433 0
Average Household Size 2.93 2.84 2.75 0

Poverty

Of the 3,429 families in Cass County, 10.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Cass County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 6,408 housing units in Cass County, Iowa.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 5,777 90.15%
Vacant 631 9.85%

23.95% of the total 6,408 housing units in Cass County are rental units. This is approximately 1,535 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 4,124 are occupied by the owner - or 64.36% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Cass County is $647.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Cass County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    118
  • Less than $500
    360
  • $500 to $999
    920
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    236
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    9
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    10

Property Value

The median value of a property in Cass County is $112,900.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Cass County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    478
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,380
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    713
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    636
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    423
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    358
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    110
  • $1,000,000 or more
    26

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Cass County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Cass County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    2,530
  • 1940 to 1949
    355
  • 1950 to 1959
    857
  • 1960 to 1969
    720
  • 1970 to 1979
    789
  • 1980 to 1989
    405
  • 1990 to 1999
    293
  • 2000 to 2009
    341
  • 2010 to 2013
    118
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Cass County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    364
  • 1 vehicle available
    1,793
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,178
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,442

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Cass County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Cass County that commute to work in a particular way.

16 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Cass County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    790
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,163
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    854
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    552
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    629
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    210
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    213
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    11
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    18
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    172
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    274
  • 90 or more minutes
    108

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Cass County, Iowa in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Cass County, Iowa

We have data for 22 places in Cass County, Iowa. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.