Wayne County, Iowa

IA · FIPS 19185 Republican

Located in Iowa, Wayne County has a population of 6,532 residents and a median age of 41.5 years, making it the #2,775 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 10.1%. The median home value is $111,300, and the median household income is $61,964, which is 18% below the national median.

6,532
Population
#2,775 of 3,222
$61,964
Median Income
-17.5% #1,897 of 3,222
41.5 years
Median Age
+6.7% #1,648 of 3,222
10.1%
Poverty Rate
-19.5% #821 of 3,222

Demographics

Wayne County has a population of 6,532, making it the #2,775 most populous county in the US. The median age is 41.5 years, which is 6.7% above the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

99.1%
Native Born
0.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Wayne County is $61,964, ranking #1,897 out of 3,222 counties — 17.5% below the national median. The poverty rate is 10.1% and unemployment stands at 2.9%.

Income#1,897
$61,964
-17.5%
vs nation
41th percentile
Per Capita#1,353
$36,445
-11.7%
vs nation
58th percentile
Poverty#821
10.1%
-19.5%
vs nation
75th percentile
Unemployment#632
2.9%
-44.9%
vs nation
80th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Wayne County is $111,300 (-60.5% vs national). Renters pay a median of $659/mo and the homeownership rate is 80.9%.

Home Value#2,827
$111,300
-60.5%
vs nation
12th percentile
Rent#2,908
$659
-43.3%
vs nation
10th percentile
Homeownership#498
80.9%
+25.6%
vs nation
85th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Wayne County, 17.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 49.0% below the national average, ranking #2,458 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
17.2% −49.0% vs nation
Rank #2,458 of 3,222
24th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Wayne County is 76.4 years. 19.9% of adults report poor or fair health and 5.9% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,144
76.4
+1.6%
vs nation
63th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,812
19.9%
+1.7%
vs nation
42th percentile
Diabetes#1,411
10.5%
-5.7%
vs nation
55th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#593
33.4%
-10.5%
vs nation
81th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#477
5.0
-10.9%
vs nation
85th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#737
3.9
-11.8%
vs nation
77th percentile
Uninsured Rate#431
5.9%
-43.4%
vs nation
86th percentile
Physical Inactivity#2,535
30.9%
+17.1%
vs nation
19th percentile
Food Insecurity#721
11.7%
-18.8%
vs nation
77th percentile

Substance Use

22.6% of adults in Wayne County smoke , 39.3% are obese , and 24.4% report excessive drinking.

Adult Smoking#2,781
22.6%
+25.9%
vs nation
12th percentile
Adult Obesity#1,836
39.3%
+3.7%
vs nation
42th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,925
24.4%
+22.7%
vs nation
7th percentile

Safety

. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 26.6 per 100,000.

Motor Vehicle Deaths#2,186
26.6
+31.2%
vs nation
23th percentile

Families & Children

22.1% of children in Wayne County live in poverty . The teen birth rate is 13.3 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Teen Birth Rate#734
13.3
-39.3%
vs nation
76th percentile
Child Poverty#2,199
22.1%
+16.4%
vs nation
30th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Wayne County is 65.4%. The mean commute time is 26.5 min, which is 4.0% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
65.4% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
26.5 min −4.0% vs nation
Rank #1,576 of 3,222
51th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Wayne County voted Republican with a margin of 57.2%. The vote was 20.6% Dem / 77.8% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 5.4 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +57.2%
20.6% 77.8%
Dem 3,119 votes Rep
2020 REP +51.8%
23.4% 75.2%
Dem 3,109 votes Rep
2016 REP +46.2%
24.6% 70.8%
Dem 2,921 votes Rep
2012 REP +11.6%
43.3% 54.9%
Dem 2,886 votes Rep
2008 REP +7.0%
45.5% 52.5%
Dem 2,980 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Wayne County, Iowa

Wayne County, Iowa has a total population of 6,532, making it the 2,775th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Wayne County is 41.5 years, which is 6.7% above the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Wayne County is $61,964, which ranks #1,897 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 17.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 10.1%, lower than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 2.9%.

The median home value in Wayne County is $111,300, 60.5% below the national median. Renters in Wayne County pay a median gross rent of $659 per month. The homeownership rate is 80.9%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Wayne County, 17.2% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 49.0% below the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 87.2% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 26.5 min.

Wayne County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 93.7% of the population, followed by Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic or Latino (1.2%).

All data for Wayne County, Iowa comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.