Demographics of Wapello County, Iowa

Wapello County, Iowa had 35,210 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −124 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Wapello County, in four figures

35,210
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −0.4%
Change since July 2020: −124 people.; 39.2 ±0.9
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $64,766 ±$4,224
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Wapello County, Iowa's population shrank 0.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Wapello County, Iowa's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Wapello County, Iowa's population shrank 0.4% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Wapello County, Iowa's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	35,334	100.0	100.0
2021	35,308	99.9	100.2
2022	35,082	99.3	100.7
2023	35,379	100.1	101.6
2024	35,429	100.3	102.5
2025	35,210	99.6	103.1

3 more columns on a wider screen

Population of Wapello County, Iowa on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	35,334	−108	−38	0	−69
2021	35,308	−26	−23	+55	−77
2022	35,082	−226	−48	+192	−367
2023	35,379	+297	+3	+325	−23
2024	35,429	+50	+21	+270	−243
2025	35,210	−219	+18	+144	−381

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 39.2 ±0.9: for men 37.5 ±1.2 and for women 41.5 ±2.2. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Wapello County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Under 5	2,117 ±186	6.0% ±0.5	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	6,315 ±409	17.9% ±1.2	17.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	2,921 ±282	8.3% ±0.8	10.0% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	8,613 ±428	24.4% ±1.2	25.1% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	8,900 ±450	25.2% ±1.3	23.9% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	6,496 ±388	18.4% ±1.1	18.1% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $64,766 ±$4,224, and income per person $33,358 ±$2,144, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,059 ±$418 in Iowa and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

2 more columns on a wider screen

Households in Wapello County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Iowa	United States
Under $25,000	2,573 ±383	18.4% ±2.7	13.9% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	2,574 ±366	18.4% ±2.6	18.5% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,006 ±378	21.5% ±2.7	17.5% ±0.3	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,994 ±324	14.2% ±2.3	14.0% ±0.3	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,209 ±297	15.8% ±2.1	18.7% ±0.3	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,059 ±235	7.6% ±1.7	8.8% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	582 ±153	4.2% ±1.1	8.6% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

2 more columns on a wider screen

Poverty rate in Wapello County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Iowa	United States
All ages	5,464 ±897	15.8% ±2.6	11.1% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	1,776 ±342	21.4% ±3.9	12.9% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	2,684 ±442	15.6% ±2.5	11.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,004 ±223	11.2% ±2.4	8.8% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

1 more column on a wider screen

Housing in Wapello County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Wapello County	Iowa	United States
Housing units	15,730 ±34	1,437,699 ±523	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	89.0% ±1.7	91.5% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	11.0% ±1.7	8.5% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	68.4% ±2.7	71.7% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	31.6% ±3.1	28.3% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$125,100 ±$7,732	$208,000 ±$1,141	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$920 ±$48	$972 ±$6	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1958 ±2	1972 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Wapello County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4,748 ±0	13.4% ±<0.1	7.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	26,750 ±115	75.6% ±0.3	82.3% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	1,054 ±236	3.0% ±0.7	3.8% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	579 ±190	1.6% ±0.5	2.5% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 21	0% to 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	857 ±22	2.4% ±0.1	0.2% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 129	0% to 0.4%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,313 ±321	3.7% ±0.9	3.5% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Wapello County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Born in the state	25,788 ±502	72.9% ±1.4	69.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	5,811 ±536	16.4% ±1.5	23.8% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	88 to 418	0.2% to 1.2%	0.7% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	3,510 ±378	9.9% ±1.1	5.9% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,309 ±247	3.7% ±0.7	2.6% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	2,201 ±348	6.2% ±1.0	3.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Wapello County among the counties of Iowa

20th of 99 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Iowa page.

Counties of Iowa near Wapello County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Marshall County	39,890	−0.5%
Jasper County	38,153	+0.9%
Des Moines County	38,077	−2.0%
Webster County	36,838	−0.4%
Sioux County	36,774	+2.5%
Wapello County	35,210	−0.4%
Marion County	34,192	+2.3%
Lee County	32,306	−3.6%
Boone County	26,799	+0.4%
Benton County	26,004	+1.8%
Plymouth County	25,697	0%

Elsewhere on the site

Rankings this appears in

No. 20 Counties by population in Iowa
No. 37 Counties by population growth in Iowa

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026