You’re at your local Whole Foods shopping for kale chips and asparagus water, trying to work out if you’ll have time to stop at the Pottery Barn before you head to your yoga class taught by a girl named Sage. It hits you: you’re leading the whitest life imaginable.
But does that mean the city you live in is one of the whitest places in Iowa?
Don’t worry, we’ve figured it out for you. Using actual census data combined with our favorite white people stereotypes (as confirmed by the internet), we can determine which cities are the whitest of the white in Hawkeye State.
After analyzing cities with populations greater than 5,000, we came up with this list as the whitest cities in Iowa for 2020.
Here are the 10 whites places in Iowa for 2020:
- Carroll (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Manchester (Homes For Sale)
- Winterset (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Vinton (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Algona (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Indianola (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Norwalk (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Independence (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Atlantic (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Nevada (Photos | Homes For Sale)
If you’re wondering, Storm Lake is the least white city of all those we measured.
Read on below to see where your hometown ranked and why. Or check out the whitest states in America and the most diverse states in America.
For more Iowa reading, check out:
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Iowa
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Iowa
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Iowa
The 10 Whitest Cities In Iowa For 2020
/10
Population: 9,899
% White: 98.48%
More on Carroll: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Carroll is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Iowa, United States, located along the Middle Raccoon River. The population was 10,103 in the 2010 census, down from three people in the 10,106 population in the 2000 census.
/10
Population: 5,037
% White: 97.36%
More on Manchester: Real Estate | Data
Manchester is a city in Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,179 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Delaware County. Manchester is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and State Highway 13, and is the largest community in Delaware County.
/10
Population: 5,203
% White: 96.1%
More on Winterset: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Winterset is a city in Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,190 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County. Winterset is part of the Des Moines West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winterset is the birthplace of actor John Wayne.
/10
Population: 5,124
% White: 95.63%
More on Vinton: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Vinton is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,257 in the 2010 census, an increase from 5,102 in the 2000 census. It is also part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. Vinton is the county seat of Benton County.
/10
Population: 5,455
% White: 95.47%
More on Algona: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Algona is a city in and the county seat of Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,560 at the 2010 census. Ambrose A. Call State Park is located two miles southwest of the city.
/10
Population: 15,653
% White: 95.4%
More on Indianola: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Indianola is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States, 18 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. The population was 14,782 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.
/10
Population: 10,568
% White: 95.31%
More on Norwalk: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Norwalk is a city in Warren County, with some small portions extending into Polk County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 8,945 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located just south of the Des Moines International Airport.
/10
Population: 6,027
% White: 94.19%
More on Independence: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,966 in the 2010 census, a decline from 6,014 in the 2000 census.
/10
Population: 6,709
% White: 94.19%
More on Atlantic: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Atlantic is a city in, and the county seat of, Cass County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 7,112 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 7,257 population in the 2000 census.
/10
Population: 6,798
% White: 94.13%
More on Nevada: Real Estate | Data | Photos
Nevada is a city in and the county seat of Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,798 in the 2010 census, an increase from 6,658 in the 2000 census. It is also part of the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area. Eight miles west of Nevada is Ames which is much larger in population. Nonetheless, Nevada is the county seat with all Story County offices located there. The city’s name is pronounced differently from the state with the same name.
How we determined the whitest places in Iowa for 2020
In order to rank the whitest places in Iowa, we had to determine what measurable criteria defines whiteness.
Obviously we had to count how many white people living there, specifically the percentage of white people living in each city in Iowa.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 76 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 98.5% to 37.2%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of White population with a higher score being more White than a lower score. Carroll took the distinction of being the most White, while Storm Lake was the least White city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Iowa ranked by population of White residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
There You Have It – White Populations Across Iowa
Measuring the locations with the highest percentage of white people, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Iowa according to the most recent data.
If you’re curious enough, here are the least White places in Iowa:
- Storm Lake
- Denison
- Perry
For more Iowa reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Whitest Cities In Iowa
| Rank | City | % White |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carroll | 98.48% |
| 2 | Manchester | 97.36% |
| 3 | Winterset | 96.1% |
| 4 | Vinton | 95.63% |
| 5 | Algona | 95.47% |
| 6 | Indianola | 95.4% |
| 7 | Norwalk | 95.31% |
| 8 | Independence | 94.19% |
| 9 | Atlantic | 94.19% |
| 10 | Nevada | 94.13% |
| 11 | Centerville | 94.11% |
| 12 | Glenwood | 93.93% |
| 13 | Oelwein | 93.47% |
| 14 | Altoona | 93.38% |
| 15 | Knoxville | 93.22% |
| 16 | Decorah | 93.2% |
| 17 | Newton | 93.16% |
| 18 | Spencer | 92.99% |
| 19 | Pella | 92.93% |
| 20 | Clear Lake | 92.78% |
| 21 | Grimes | 92.76% |
| 22 | Boone | 92.5% |
| 23 | Marion | 92.26% |
| 24 | Waverly | 91.81% |
| 25 | Creston | 91.68% |
| 26 | Ankeny | 91.47% |
| 27 | Maquoketa | 91.44% |
| 28 | Oskaloosa | 91.32% |
| 29 | Le Mars | 90.54% |
| 30 | Red Oak | 90.34% |
| 31 | Cedar Falls | 89.97% |
| 32 | Sheldon | 89.75% |
| 33 | Johnston | 89.37% |
| 34 | Waukee | 89.06% |
| 35 | Iowa Falls | 89.03% |
| 36 | Mason City | 88.71% |
| 37 | Dubuque | 88.52% |
| 38 | Grinnell | 88.21% |
| 39 | Clinton | 88.14% |
| 40 | Eldridge | 88.08% |
| 41 | Orange City | 88.06% |
| 42 | Washington | 87.58% |
| 43 | Clarinda | 87.48% |
| 44 | Keokuk | 87.37% |
| 45 | Fort Madison | 87.26% |
| 46 | Urbandale | 87.02% |
| 47 | Pleasant Hill | 86.23% |
| 48 | Charles City | 86.11% |
| 49 | Sioux Center | 85.8% |
| 50 | Anamosa | 84.67% |
| 51 | North Liberty | 84.66% |
| 52 | Council Bluffs | 84.26% |
| 53 | Fort Dodge | 84.25% |
| 54 | Burlington | 84.23% |
| 55 | Clive | 83.91% |
| 56 | Bettendorf | 83.79% |
| 57 | Webster City | 82.83% |
| 58 | Cedar Rapids | 82.33% |
| 59 | Estherville | 82.04% |
| 60 | West Des Moines | 80.61% |
| 61 | Mount Pleasant | 80.25% |
| 62 | Ames | 79.4% |
| 63 | Hiawatha | 79.27% |
| 64 | Ottumwa | 76.79% |
| 65 | Iowa City | 75.0% |
| 66 | Davenport | 74.67% |
| 67 | Muscatine | 72.36% |
| 68 | Waterloo | 70.94% |
| 69 | Fairfield | 70.6% |
| 70 | Coralville | 70.15% |
| 71 | Sioux City | 69.25% |
| 72 | Des Moines | 65.41% |
| 73 | Marshalltown | 60.88% |
| 74 | Perry | 55.65% |
| 75 | Denison | 42.76% |
| 76 | Storm Lake | 37.16% |
