Forest City, IA

Census Place

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    2024 Population
    4,290
    US Senator
    Chuck Grassley
    Republican Party
    US Senator
    Joni Ernst
    Republican Party
    2024 Median Age
    34.4
    7.5% 1-year increase
    2024 Poverty Rate
    12.4%
    32.1% 1-year increase
    2024 Median Household Income
    $69,205
    9.99% 1-year growth
    2024 Median Property Value
    $143,500
    5.21% 1-year growth
    2024 Employed Population
    2,178
    2.98% 1-year decline

    About

    None of the households in Forest City, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

    94.9% of the residents in Forest City, IA are U.S. citizens.

    The largest universities in Forest City, IA are Waldorf University (918 degrees awarded in 2024).

    In 2024, the median property value in Forest City, IA was $143,500, and the homeownership rate was 66.7%.

    Most people in Forest City, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 12.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Forest City, IA was 2 cars per household.

    United StatesIowaHancock County, IAWinnebago County, IACerro Gordo, Floyd, Kossuth, Hancock, Winnebago, Mitchell & Worth Counties PUMA, IA

    Population & Diversity

    Forest City, IA is home to a population of 4.29k people, from which 94.9% are citizens. As of 2024, 6.81% of Forest City, IA residents were born outside of the country (292 people).

    In 2024, there were 18.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.74k people) in Forest City, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 199 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 137 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    Population & Diversity

    Citizenship

    94.9%
    2024 Citizenship
    97.4%
    2023 Citizenship

    As of 2024, 94.9% of Forest City, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Forest City, IA was 97.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

    The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Forest City, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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    Diversity

    Race and Ethnicity

    The 3 largest ethnic groups in Forest City, IA
    1. White (Non-Hispanic)
      3.74k ± 242
    2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
      199 ± 92
    3. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
      137 ± 5
    3.4%
    Hispanic Population
    146 people

    In 2024, there were 18.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.74k people) in Forest City, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 199 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 137 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

    3.4% of the people in Forest City, IA are hispanic (146 people).

    The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Forest City, IA as a share of the total population.

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    Global Diversity

    The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.
    Most Common Origin
    1. Mexico
      44,333 ± 5,134 people
    2. India
      11,889 ± 2,672 people
    3. Guatemala
      8,189 ± 2,219 people

    In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

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    Foreign-Born Population

    6.81%
    2024 Foreign-Born Population
    292 people
    6%
    2023 Foreign-Born Population
    257 people

    As of 2024, 6.81% of Forest City, IA residents (292 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Forest City, IA was 6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

    The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Forest City, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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    Military

    Veterans

    Most Common Service Period
    1. Vietnam
      72 ± 47
    2. Gulf War (2001-)
      23 ± 31
    3. Gulf War (1990s)
      13 ± 18

    Forest City, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.13 times greater than any other conflict.

    The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Forest City, IA.

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    Health

    95% of the population of Forest City, IA has health coverage, with 54.4% on employee plans, 17.9% on Medicaid, 12.6% on Medicare, 10.1% on non-group plans, and 0% on military or VA plans.

    Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 466 patients per year.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54% were men and 46% were women.

    Coverage

    Health Care Diversity

    In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.2% under 18 years, 24.7% between 18 and 34 years, 31.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.3% over 64 years.

    By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54% were men and 46% were women.

    The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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    Uninsured People

    5%
    Uninsured
    54.4%
    Employer Coverage
    17.9%
    Medicaid
    12.6%
    Medicare
    10.1%
    Non-Group
    0%
    Military or VA

    Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Forest City, IA grew by 22.8% from 4.07% to 5%.

    The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Forest City, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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    Economy

    The economy of Forest City, IA employs 2.18k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Forest City, IA were Educational Services (461 people), Manufacturing (427 people), and Retail Trade (319 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($56,572), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,288), and Educational Services ($53,980).

    Employment

    Occupations

    2.18k
    2024 Value
    ± 302
    −2.98%
    1 Year decline
    ± 19.7%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest City, IA declined at a rate of −2.98%, from 2.25k employees to 2.18k employees.

    The most common job groups, by number of people living in Forest City, IA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (319 people), Production Occupations (294 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (227 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Forest City, IA.

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    Unemployment Insurance Claims

    Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

    This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

    The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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    Industries

    Employment by Industries

    2.18k
    2024 Value
    ± 302
    −2.98%
    1 Year decline
    ± 19.7%

    From 2023 to 2024, employment in Forest City, IA declined at a rate of −2.98%, from 2.25k employees to 2.18k employees.

    The most common employment sectors for those who live in Forest City, IA, are Educational Services (461 people), Manufacturing (427 people), and Retail Trade (319 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Forest City, IA, though some of these residents may live in Forest City, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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    Median Earnings by Industry

    $47,135
    Median earning men ± $5,297
    $34,365
    Median earning women ± $9,812

    The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,307), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($54,866), and Construction ($46,510).

    The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Retail Trade ($50,116), Manufacturing ($49,375), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($38,529).

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    Employment by Industry Sector

    Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
    Y-Axis
    1.48%
    Year-over-year growth
    Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

    As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

    Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

    The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

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    Civics

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

    Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

    Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

    Presidential Elections

    Voting results are not available for Forest City, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.
    2024 Election Results
    1. Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
      Republican Party
    2. Kamala Harris (42.5%)
      Democratic Party
    3. Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
      Independent Party

    In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

    The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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    Senator Elections

    US Senators from Iowa

    Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
    Chuck Grassley
    Senator from Iowa3
    Assumed office on January 3, 1981
    Joni Ernst
    Senator from Iowa2
    Assumed office on January 3, 2015

    Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

    In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

    The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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    Education

    In 2024, universities in Forest City, IA awarded 918 degrees. The student population of Forest City, IA in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 1,378 male students and 847 female students.

    Most students graduating from Universities in Forest City, IA are White (501 and 55%), Unknown (237 and 26%), Black or African American (99 and 10.9%), and Hispanic or Latino (26 and 2.85%).

    The largest universities in Forest City, IA by number of degrees awarded are Waldorf University (918 and 100%).

    The most popular majors in Forest City, IA are Occupational Safety & Health Technology (148 and 16.1%), Organizational Leadership (123 and 13.4%), and General Business (86 and 9.37%).

    Admissions & Enrollments

    Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

    University
    Measure

    In 2024 in Forest City, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,225 (61.9% men and 38.1% women).

    The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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    Enrollments by Gender and Races

    Universities

    In 2024 there were 2,225 students enrolled in Forest City, IA, 61.9% men and 38.1% women.

    By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,270 records, of which 38.3% were women and 61.7% men.

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    Completions

    Concentrations

    Most Common
    1. Occupational Safety & Health Technology
      118 degrees awarded
    2. General Business
      86 degrees awarded
    3. General Psychology
      62 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Forest City, IA was Occupational Safety & Health Technology with 118 degrees awarded.

    This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Forest City, IA according to their major.

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    Universities

    Gender
    Race
    Waldorf University
    Largest Universities by degrees awarded
    918 degrees awarded

    In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Waldorf University with 918 degrees awarded.

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    Student Diversity

    University

    In 2024, 562 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Forest City, IA, which is 1.58 times more than the 356 female students who received degrees in the same year.

    In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 501 degrees mean that there were 2.11 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 237 degrees awarded.

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    Awarded Degrees over Time

    The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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    Tuition

    Average Net Price by Sector

    Universities

    Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($24,514) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

    Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,464) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

    Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,578) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

    The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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    Housing & Living

    The median property value in Forest City, IA was $143,500 in 2024, which is 0.431 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $136,400 to $143,500, a 5.21% increase. The homeownership rate in Forest City, IA is 66.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

    People in Forest City, IA have an average commute time of 12.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Forest City, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

    Housing

    Property

    $143,500
    Median Property Value 2024
    ±$21,365
    $1,102
    Median Property Taxes
    ±$191

    The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Forest City, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

    The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Forest City, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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    Rent vs Own

    66.7%
    Homeownership
    2024
    59.6%
    Homeowners with Mortgage
    2024

    In 2024, 66.7% of the housing units in Forest City, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.3%.

    This chart shows the percentage of owner in Forest City, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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    Equity

    Household Income

    Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
    $69,205
    Median Household Income
    ± $16,191
    1.65k
    Number of Households
    ± 260

    In 2024, the median household income of the 1.65k households in Forest City, IA grew to $69,205 from the previous year's value of $62,917.

    The following chart displays the households in Forest City, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $100k - $125k range.

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    Wage Distribution

    The closest comparable wage GINI for Forest City, IA is from Iowa.
    0.435
    2024 Wage GINI in Iowa
    0.441
    2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

    In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

    This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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    Transportation

    Commuter Transportation

    Most Common Commute in 2024
    1. Drove Alone (75.1%)
    2. Walked (8.54%)
    3. Carpooled (7.14%)

    In 2024, 75.1% of workers in Forest City, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (8.54%) and those who carpooled to work (7.14%).

    The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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    Commute Time

    12.1 minutes
    Average Travel Time

    Using averages, employees in Forest City, IA have a shorter commute time (12.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.497% of the workforce in Forest City, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

    The chart below shows how the median household income in Forest City, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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    Car Ownership

    2 cars
    Average Number

    The following chart displays the households in Forest City, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Forest City, IA have 2 cars.

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    Poverty

    Poverty & Diversity

    12.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Forest City, IA (472 out of 3.81k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

    The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Forest City, IA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

    The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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