• county
  • FIPS 19013
  • Largest town: Waterloo

Black Hawk County, Iowa

Black Hawk County had 132,348 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 565.8 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 99 in Iowa by population and 57th by land area.

Population
132,348
#5 of 99 in Iowa · #500 in US
Area
565.8 sq mi
#57 of 99 in Iowa · #1,811 in US
Density
234 / sq mi
#5 of 99 in Iowa · #519 in US
Median household income
$61,558
#83 of 99 in Iowa · #1,680 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Black Hawk County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Black Hawk County

Black Hawk County population, land area and income

Black Hawk County had 132,348 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 565.8 square miles of land. It ranks 5th of 99 in Iowa by population and 57th by land area. That works out to 233.9 people per square mile, 2.4 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents, so Black Hawk County is 8.8 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $61,558 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

132,348

3144th1st

500th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

566 sq mi

3144th1st

1811th of 3,144 (US)

Density

233.9 / sq mi

3144th1st

519th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$61,558

3143rd1st

1680th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

132,348

99th1st

5th of 99 (IA)

Land area

566 sq mi

99th1st

57th of 99 (IA)

Density

233.9 / sq mi

99th1st

5th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$61,558

99th1st

83rd of 99 (IA)

How Black Hawk County's population changed since 2020

Black Hawk County gained 1,299 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.0%. That ranks 19th of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Black Hawk County recorded 6,875 births and 6,037 deaths, a natural change of +838. Net international migration added +2,758 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -2,408. The largest single component was international migration, which added 2,758 people.

131.0k2020130.6k2021130.1k2022131.2k2023132.3k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
6,875
Deaths
6,037
Net international migration
+2,758
Net domestic migration
-2,408
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+1,169

Where Black Hawk County is

The Census internal point of Black Hawk County is at 42.471100, -92.307600. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Black Hawk County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Black Hawk County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.471100, -92.307600
DMS
42°28'15.96"N 92°18'27.36"W
UTM
15N 556918.1E 4702316.3N
Geohash
9zw3e7xsj
Plus code
86J9FMCR+CX

Towns in Black Hawk County

8 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Black Hawk County, 119,965 people together, or 91% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Black Hawk County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Waterloo with 67,477.

  1. 01Waterloo67,477
  2. 02Cedar Falls41,417
  3. 03Evansdale4,515
  4. 04Hudson2,916
  5. 05La Porte City2,267
  6. 06Elk Run Heights1,061
  7. 07Jesup (part)198
  8. 08Janesville (part)114
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Black Hawk County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Black Hawk County. The most populous is Benton County, IA, with 25,799 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 90.1 miles SW of Black Hawk County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cedar Rapids, IA (population 137,904), 47.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Waterloo, IA (population 67,477), 2.7 miles away.

Black Hawk County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Black Hawk County is 19013: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 013. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $61,558.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Black Hawk County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 132,348. That is up 1,299 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 131,049.

What is the FIPS code of Black Hawk County?

19013. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (013) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Black Hawk County?

Waterloo, with 67,477 residents inside Black Hawk County in 2024.

Which counties border Black Hawk County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Benton County, IA; Bremer County, IA; Buchanan County, IA; Fayette County, IA; Tama County, IA; Butler County, IA; Grundy County, IA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.