Webster County, Iowa Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Webster 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 Webster County, Iowa. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Webster County, Iowa. The estimated population of Webster County, Iowa is 37,114 people, with a median age of 39.2.

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

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
37,114
+2.11%
+0.46%
2020
36,348
 -0.54% -
2019
36,545
 -0.58% -
2018
36,757
 -0.51% -
2017
36,945
 - -

Population of Webster 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
85.4%
88.1%
 -3.06%
Black/African American
4.3%
4.6%
 -6.52%
Native
0.3%
0.3%
 0.00%
Hispanic
5.7%
4.5%
 +26.67%
Asian
1.3%
1.3%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
2.7%
1.1%
 +145.45%
Other
0.3%
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 Webster 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 39.2 -0.25% 36.4 -0.55% 42.2 -0.94%
2020 39.3 +0.77% 36.6 +0.83% 42.6 +0.24%
2019 39 -0.26% 36.3 +0.28% 42.5 -0.47%
2018 39.1 -1.26% 36.2 -0.55% 42.7 0%
2017 39.6 - 36.4 - 42.7 -

The median age of Webster 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 2,336 +1.63% 2,122 -0.28% 2,371 2,114
10 to 19 2,608 0.18% 2,346 -1.85% 2,606 2,302
20 to 29 2,898 +6.99% 2,102 +2.9% 3,104 2,163
30 to 39 2,453 +2.22% 1,771 +3.94% 2,503 1,831
40 to 49 1,992 -4.65% 2,017 -10.75% 1,898 1,802
50 to 59 2,543 -7.45% 2,791 -9.75% 2,356 2,526
60 to 69 2,299 +5.77% 2,317 +12.13% 2,434 2,609
70+ 1,855 +11.9% 2,495 -3.22% 2,081 2,414

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Webster County, Iowa is $56,934.00.

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 Webster County.

  • Under 25
    $41,250.00
  • 25 to 44
    $65,051.00
  • 45 to 64
    $66,730.00
  • 65 and over
    $36,387.00

Average Household Income

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

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Webster 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 Webster County, Iowa is currently $71,464.00.

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.

3.21% of households in Webster 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 Webster County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    22.61%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    22.04%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    20.26%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    13.92%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.35%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.60%
  • $200,000 or more
    3.21%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Webster County is $30,461.00.

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

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Webster 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 Webster 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
    6.31%
  • Bachelor's degree
    24.69%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.10%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    51.51%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.39%

Employment

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

The total population of Webster County over the age of 16 is 30,119.

Of those people, a total of 60.20% 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 Webster County is 58.30%.

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 2,398 47.40% 10.20%
20 to 24 years 2,690 71.40% 3.30%
25 to 29 years 2,577 76.90% 3.50%
30 to 34 years 2,045 73.40% 4.40%
35 to 44 years 4,155 77.30% 1.50%
45 to 54 years 4,109 81.20% 3.30%
55 to 59 years 2,607 76.50% 2.20%
60 to 64 years 2,608 63.00% 1.00%
65 to 74 years 3,945 32.10% 1.80%
75 years and over 2,985 5.00% 0.70%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Webster 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 27,012 61.80% 3.00%
Black or African American 1,165 42.70% 7.20%
American Indian and Alaska Native 95 20.00% 0.00%
Asian 459 40.10% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 567 65.10% 0.00%
Two or more races 821 46.90% 3.40%
Hispanic or Latino 1,313 59.90% 1.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 26,240 62.10% 3.00%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Webster 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 Webster County is 17,548, with median earnings of $38,451.00.

Women in Webster County, Iowa earning approximately 65.00% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 17,548 $38,451.00
Male 9,478 $45,679.00
Female 8,070 $29,669.00

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 1,786 $53,038.00
Business and Financial 546 $63,112.00
Computer and Mathematical 105 $39,962.00
Architecture and Engineering 190 $62,500.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 158 $62,571.00
Community and Social Service 244 $37,727.00
Legal 42 $41,429.00
Educational and Library 944 $42,727.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 167 $43,050.00
Healthcare Practitioners 1,132 $59,900.00
Healthcare Support 654 $22,424.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 166 $63,125.00
Law Enforcement 232 $61,389.00
Food Preparation and Serving 1,154 $15,250.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 746 $19,537.00
Personal Care and Service 401 $13,917.00
Sales 1,838 $31,738.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,739 $29,967.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 265 $31,775.00
Construction and Extraction 1,079 $44,717.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 867 $48,814.00
Production 1,193 $43,181.00
Transportation and Material Moving 995 $41,056.00

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 1,051 $58,015.00 735 $46,775.00
Business and Financial 143 $63,203.00 403 $63,095.00
Computer and Mathematical 83 $39,663.00 22 $85,625.00
Architecture and Engineering 144 $54,917.00 46 $68,750.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 90 $59,000.00 68 $71,250.00
Community and Social Service 73 $67,750.00 171 $34,042.00
Legal 15 $0.00 27 $40,089.00
Educational and Library 334 $48,060.00 610 $21,143.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 47 $30,625.00 120 $45,000.00
Healthcare Practitioners 163 $133,906.00 969 $56,580.00
Healthcare Support 81 $36,719.00 573 $21,174.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 112 $68,198.00 54 $22,250.00
Law Enforcement 169 $62,634.00 63 $60,125.00
Food Preparation and Serving 490 $14,286.00 664 $15,887.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 518 $20,611.00 228 $17,647.00
Personal Care and Service 150 $13,333.00 251 $14,427.00
Sales 1,016 $48,810.00 822 $25,185.00
Office and Administrative Support 299 $47,917.00 1,440 $28,594.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 252 $32,000.00 13 $23,125.00
Construction and Extraction 1,048 $45,083.00 31 $37,721.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 839 $49,391.00 28 $0.00
Production 756 $47,419.00 437 $33,730.00
Transportation and Material Moving 906 $41,595.00 89 $17,292.00

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 15,659 households in Webster County, with an average household size of 2.19 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 8,693 families in Webster County with an average family size of 2.87 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 6,362 982 1,349 6,966
Average Household Size 2.92 3.08 3.32 1.18
Total Families 6,362 982 1,349 0
Average Household Size 2.9 2.42 3.07 0

Poverty

Of the 8,693 families in Webster County, 8.90% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Webster 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 16,950 housing units in Webster County, Iowa.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 15,659 92.38%
Vacant 1,291 7.62%

27.67% of the total 16,950 housing units in Webster County are rental units. This is approximately 4,690 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 10,656 are occupied by the owner - or 62.87% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Webster County is $696.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Webster 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
    313
  • Less than $500
    860
  • $500 to $999
    3,151
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    432
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    219
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    19
  • $3,000 or more
    9

Property Value

The median value of a property in Webster County is $110,900.00.

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

  • Less than $50,000
    1,278
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    3,585
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    2,051
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,627
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,331
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    603
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    138
  • $1,000,000 or more
    43

Property Age

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

  • 1939 or earlier
    5,419
  • 1940 to 1949
    1,305
  • 1950 to 1959
    2,666
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,701
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,485
  • 1980 to 1989
    828
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,040
  • 2000 to 2009
    939
  • 2010 to 2013
    540
  • 2014 or later
    27

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 Webster County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    1,136
  • 1 vehicle available
    4,883
  • 2 vehicles available
    5,637
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    4,003

Commuting to Work

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

18.4 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Webster 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
    998
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    3,704
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    4,348
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    2,425
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,595
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    754
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,209
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    134
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    203
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    401
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    467
  • 90 or more minutes
    400

Summary

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

We have data for 32 places in Webster County, Iowa. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.