Land area and population density (2000)¹
Land area: 55,869.3 square miles
Population density: 52.4 people per square mile

Urban and rural population (2000)¹
Urban: 61.1%                           
Rural (total): 38.9%
    Rural (farm): 5.9%

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan population (2003)^1,2
Metropolitan: 53.4%             
Non-metropolitan: 46.6% 

Metropolitan areas: 9 areas comprised of 20 Iowa counties
Micropolitan areas: 14 areas comprised of 16 Iowa counties
Combined statistical areas: 4 areas comprised of 12 Iowa counties

Gross state product (2001)³
Total (in millions): $90,942 
    Manufacturing: $19,112
    Services: $16,210
    Finance, insurance, and real estate: $14,594
    Government: $11,313
    Retail trade: $8,218
    Transportation and public utilities: $7,631
    Wholesale trade: $6,256
    Construction: $3,951
    Agricultural services and farms: $3,454
    Mining: $203

Exports (2002)¹
Top commodity exports (in millions): 
    Tractors - $464.5 
    Fresh and frozen pork - $299.3 
    Combination refrigerator/freezers - $86.7 
Top destinations of exports (in millions):
    Canada - $1,675.7   
    Japan -      $605.1 
    Mexico -    $396.4 

Businesses¹
Business establishments with employees (2001):   80,392
Non-employer business establishments (2000):    171,483

Farms⁴
Number of farms (2002): 92,500
Acres in farmland (2002): 32,600,000

Residential building permits issued (2002)¹: 14,167

Employees in nonfarm establishments (2001)⁵ 
Total: 1,469,000
    Services: 395,000
    Wholesale and retail trade: 351,000
    Manufacturing: 252,000
    Government: 246,000
    Finance, insurance, and real estate: 88,000
    Transportation and public utilities: 72,000
    Construction: 63,000

Farm operators (1997)⁴
Operators by principal occupation
    Farming: 56,256
    Other: 34,536
Operators by days worked off farm
   Any: 45,408
   200 days or more: 28,673

Commuting to work (2000)¹
Mean travel time to work (minutes): 18.5

Births (2002)⁶
     Total:  37,555
    Rate per 1,000 population: 12.8

Deaths (2002)⁶       
    Total: 27,928
    Rate per 1,000 population:  9.5

Marriages (2002)⁶   
    Total: 20,406
    Rate per 1,000 population:  6.9

Dissolutions (2002)⁶  
    Total: 9,113
    Rate per 1,000 population:  3.1

Educational attainment (2000)¹
High school graduate or higher: 86.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher:      21.2%

Veteran status (2000)¹
Civilian veterans:   13.3%

Disability status (2000)¹
Population 5 years and over with a disability:  16.6%

Nativity and citizenship (2000)¹
Native:  96.9%
Foreign-born:  3.1%
    Naturalized citizen: 1.0%
    Not a citizen: 2.1%

Language spoken at home (2000)¹
English only:  94.2%
Spanish:          2.9%
Asian:              0.8%
German:           0.6%
Other:              1.5%

Ancestry (single or multiple) (2000)¹
German:  35.7%
Irish:       13.5%
Other:     50.8%

Income (1999) ¹
Median household income: $39,469
Median family income: $48,005
Per capita income: $19,674

Median earnings (1999)¹
Male full-time, year-round workers:    $32,697
Female full-time, year-round workers: $24,023

Individual poverty status (1999)¹
Individuals below poverty level:  9.1%
Related children under 18 years below poverty level:  10.5%
Individuals 65 years and over below poverty level:  7.7%

Family poverty status ( 1999)¹
Families below poverty level: 6.0%
Families with related children under 18 years 
   below poverty level : 9.3%
Families with female householder, no husband present, 
   with related children under 5 years below poverty level : 46.1%

Gross rent (2000)¹
Median gross rent of renter-occupied units: $470
Median gross rent as a percentage of household income: 23.2%

Incorporated places ¹
Number of places (2002) : 949
Largest population (2002): 198,076 - Des Moines in Polk County 
Smallest population (2002): 11 - Beaconsfield in Ringgold County
Number of census designated places (2000): 5

Townships ¹
Number of townships (2000): 1,660