Plymouth County, Iowa Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, Iowa. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Plymouth County, Iowa. The estimated population of Plymouth County, Iowa is 25,543 people, with a median age of 40.4.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
25,543
+1.6%
+2.06%
2020
25,141
+0.29%
-
2019
25,068
+0.12%
-
2018
25,039
+0.05%
-
2017
25,027
 - -

Population of Plymouth 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
90.6%
92.8%
 -2.37%
Black/African American
1.6%
0.4%
 +300.00%
Native
0.4%
0.3%
 +33.33%
Hispanic
5.6%
4.5%
 +24.44%
Asian
0.4%
0.6%
 -33.33%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.3%
0.1%
 +200.00%
Two Or More Races
1.1%
1.2%
 -8.33%
Other
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%

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 Plymouth 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 40.4 -0.25% 39.4 -0.76% 42.1 +0.72%
2020 40.5 +1.25% 39.7 +1.28% 41.8 +0.48%
2019 40 +0.25% 39.2 -0.51% 41.6 +0.97%
2018 39.9 -1.48% 39.4 -0.51% 41.2 -0.72%
2017 40.5 - 39.6 - 41.5 -

The median age of Plymouth 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 1,629 +13.02% 1,652 -10.09% 1,842 1,488
10 to 19 1,878 -2.52% 1,808 +2.46% 1,830 1,850
20 to 29 1,259 +11.08% 1,211 +4.35% 1,401 1,264
30 to 39 1,444 +3.22% 1,542 -3.1% 1,489 1,490
40 to 49 1,430 +3.02% 1,343 +3.54% 1,469 1,389
50 to 59 1,815 -12.34% 1,890 -4.43% 1,596 1,806
60 to 69 1,579 +16.03% 1,557 +5.16% 1,844 1,636
70+ 1,225 +12.27% 1,765 +0.26% 1,381 1,768

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Plymouth County, Iowa is $74,239.00.

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 Plymouth County.

  • Under 25
    $43,477.00
  • 25 to 44
    $82,460.00
  • 45 to 64
    $89,363.00
  • 65 and over
    $55,773.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, Iowa is currently $89,895.00.

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.

5.99% of households in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    13.47%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    18.79%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.37%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    16.90%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    19.55%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.94%
  • $200,000 or more
    5.99%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Plymouth County is $36,290.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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
    7.41%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28.01%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.75%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    52.71%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.13%

Employment

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

The total population of Plymouth County over the age of 16 is 19,847.

Of those people, a total of 69.90% 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 Plymouth County is 68.00%.

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 1,314 55.50% 6.70%
20 to 24 years 1,428 92.60% 5.50%
25 to 29 years 1,237 95.60% 1.30%
30 to 34 years 1,339 91.10% 2.40%
35 to 44 years 3,040 93.70% 1.00%
45 to 54 years 3,113 88.50% 1.00%
55 to 59 years 1,747 84.10% 1.70%
60 to 64 years 1,886 66.80% 0.00%
65 to 74 years 2,665 34.80% 5.00%
75 years and over 2,078 7.40% 16.90%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Plymouth 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 18,791 69.50% 2.00%
Black or African American 273 75.10% 0.50%
American Indian and Alaska Native 102 49.00% 0.00%
Asian 103 51.50% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 48 62.50% 40.00%
Other 356 89.00% 13.20%
Two or more races 174 83.30% 0.00%
Hispanic or Latino 945 87.00% 5.10%
Not Hispanic or Latino 18,286 69.20% 2.10%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Plymouth 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 Plymouth County is 13,501, with median earnings of $42,256.00.

Women in Plymouth County, Iowa earning approximately 69.30% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 13,501 $42,256.00
Male 7,259 $50,326.00
Female 6,242 $34,872.00

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 1,699 $60,806.00
Business and Financial 531 $48,894.00
Computer and Mathematical 82 $98,750.00
Architecture and Engineering 241 $80,221.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 163 $54,479.00
Community and Social Service 136 $43,875.00
Legal 121 $61,092.00
Educational and Library 730 $43,000.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 210 $5,924.00
Healthcare Practitioners 809 $58,168.00
Healthcare Support 454 $29,659.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 40 $12,321.00
Law Enforcement 153 $65,035.00
Food Preparation and Serving 566 $14,833.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 539 $30,938.00
Personal Care and Service 297 $17,039.00
Sales 1,198 $31,331.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,481 $36,091.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 370 $36,486.00
Construction and Extraction 630 $42,045.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 589 $52,969.00
Production 1,226 $44,901.00
Transportation and Material Moving 591 $50,675.00

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 1,255 $67,361.00 444 $51,579.00
Business and Financial 190 $55,192.00 341 $47,137.00
Computer and Mathematical 62 $116,250.00 20 $91,250.00
Architecture and Engineering 181 $82,132.00 60 $68,587.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 63 $76,458.00 100 $41,300.00
Community and Social Service 23 $32,386.00 113 $44,554.00
Legal 61 $61,292.00 60 $60,969.00
Educational and Library 209 $51,625.00 521 $38,068.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 143 $6,929.00 67 $3,872.00
Healthcare Practitioners 135 $65,875.00 674 $58,017.00
Healthcare Support 5 $0.00 449 $29,716.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 38 $40,000.00 2 $0.00
Law Enforcement 94 $67,083.00 59 $33,817.00
Food Preparation and Serving 160 $21,786.00 406 $13,565.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 355 $46,607.00 184 $2,500.00
Personal Care and Service 60 $41,250.00 237 $16,382.00
Sales 561 $46,473.00 637 $20,048.00
Office and Administrative Support 334 $57,841.00 1,147 $34,415.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 338 $36,486.00 32 $31,250.00
Construction and Extraction 630 $42,045.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 537 $54,594.00 52 $32,321.00
Production 726 $47,963.00 500 $37,353.00
Transportation and Material Moving 563 $51,375.00 28 $36,667.00

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 10,191 households in Plymouth County, with an average household size of 2.48 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 7,315 families in Plymouth County with an average family size of 2.94 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 6,127 447 741 2,876
Average Household Size 3.01 2.96 3.09 1.11
Total Families 6,127 447 741 0
Average Household Size 3 2.44 2.8 0

Poverty

Of the 7,315 families in Plymouth County, 3.70% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Plymouth 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 10,777 housing units in Plymouth County, Iowa.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 10,191 94.56%
Vacant 586 5.44%

19.51% of the total 10,777 housing units in Plymouth County are rental units. This is approximately 2,103 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 7,764 are occupied by the owner - or 72.04% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Plymouth County is $760.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Plymouth 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
    324
  • Less than $500
    269
  • $500 to $999
    1,469
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    353
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    0
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    12

Property Value

The median value of a property in Plymouth County is $176,800.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    445
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,010
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    1,509
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,481
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,469
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    1,618
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    171
  • $1,000,000 or more
    61

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    3,002
  • 1940 to 1949
    381
  • 1950 to 1959
    964
  • 1960 to 1969
    935
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,675
  • 1980 to 1989
    785
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,389
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,060
  • 2010 to 2013
    567
  • 2014 or later
    19

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 Plymouth County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    463
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,332
  • 2 vehicles available
    4,116
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,280

Commuting to Work

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

18.7 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Plymouth 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
    1,310
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    3,147
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,638
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,121
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,372
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    665
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,224
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    604
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    383
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    527
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    194
  • 90 or more minutes
    166

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Plymouth 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 Plymouth County, Iowa

We have data for 33 places in Plymouth County, Iowa. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.