county

Cerro Gordo County, IA

Demographic and economic profile of Cerro Gordo County, IA, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Cerro Gordo County has a population of 42,785 with a slightly contracting base, down 0.5% over five years, and a median age of 44.0. The labor force participation rate of 64.7% and unemployment rate of 2.6% reflect a tight, older workforce where 24.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher and median worker earnings run $40,465. Housing costs remain low—median home value of $154,100 and median gross rent of $840 per month—while GDP per capita of $66,216 exceeds median household income of $68,189, suggesting meaningful output per worker relative to local wages.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

42,785

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$68,189

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

44.0 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-0.5% since 2018

Cerro Gordo County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone38,231 (89.7%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race1,444 (3.4%)
  • Black or African American Alone987 (2.3%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races836 (2.0%)
  • Asian Alone499 (1.2%)
  • Some Other Race Alone291 (0.7%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish911
  2. 2.Other Asian and Pacific Island200
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)74
  4. 4.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic69
  5. 5.German or other West Germanic61

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

21.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

56.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

23.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.6%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

2,669

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$66,216

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$40,345

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

9.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance5,088
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)3,471
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)3,179
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services1,642
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services1,382

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations7,052
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations4,588
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations4,373
  4. 4.Service Occupations3,652
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations1,787

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 1.96×)687
  2. 2.Wholesale Trade (LQ 1.75×)888
  3. 3.Manufacturing (LQ 1.56×)3,407
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.43×)3,410
  5. 5.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.03×)5,269

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$154,100

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$840/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

70.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $100,000 to $124,9991,674 (12.2%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9991,485 (10.8%)
  • $150,000 to $174,9991,462 (10.6%)
  • $125,000 to $149,9991,219 (8.9%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9991,129 (8.2%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9991,002 (7.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

24.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

94.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

64.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$40,465

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

15.6 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

5.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone16,887 (80.1%)
  • Carpooled1,602 (7.6%)
  • Worked At Home1,523 (7.2%)
  • Walked688 (3.3%)
  • Public Transit162 (0.8%)
  • Other124 (0.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.