December 23, 2014
Contact:
Gary Krob
Iowa Library Services / State Library
(515) 281-6618
[email protected]
www.iowadatacenter.org
Iowa’s population grows to 3.1 million
New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show Iowa’s population increasing by 60,257 since Census
2010. The new population estimate is 3,107,126, up 2.0% since the 2010 Census.
Gary Krob, coordinator of the state library’s State Data Center program, says the new estimate is
consistent with Iowa’s historical pattern of slow, steady population growth. “Iowa’s population has
continued to grow over the last 24 years. And while our growth is slower than the National average, our
percent increase is larger than some of our neighboring states”
The new population of the U.S. is 318,857,056, an increase of 3.3 percent over the last four years. Florida
(19.9 million) passed New York (19.7 million) to become the third most populous state. West Virginia
was the only state to lose population since the 2010 Census, with North Dakota is the fastest growing
state, a 9.9 percent increase since the last census.
Among Iowa’s other neighbors, South Dakota is the next fastest growing state with a 4.8 percent increase
since 2010, followed by Nebraska (3.0 percent), and Minnesota (2.9 percent). The states with slower
growth were Kansas (1.8 percent), Wisconsin (1.2 percent), Missouri (1.2 percent), and Illinois (0.4
percent).
The latest Census Bureau release also includes information about births, deaths, and migration in Iowa.
Births and international migration are key components in Iowa’s growth. Between 2010 and 2014 there
were 163,391 births in the state and 21,447 residents moved in from other countries. Together they offset
118,503 deaths and a net loss of 4,575 residents who moved out of Iowa to other states.
The new state population estimates, rankings, charts, and maps are on the state library’s State Data Center
web site at http://www.iowadatacenter.org.
These new estimates from the Census Bureau are based on administrative data for births and deaths and
estimates of migration since the 2010 census. Caution is urged in making year-to-year comparisons of
population estimates. When the Census Bureau releases new estimates for the current year it also revises
estimates for previous years in the decade.
2014 county population estimates will be released in March 2015; new city estimates are scheduled for
release in June 2015.
The U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program prepared the latest population estimates in
partnership with the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates. The State Data Center
of Iowa is a member of the Federal-State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates.
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