• county
  • FIPS 19019
  • Largest town: Independence

Buchanan County, Iowa

Buchanan County had 20,733 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 571.1 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 99 in Iowa by population and 44th by land area.

Population
20,733
#31 of 99 in Iowa · #1,786 in US
Area
571.1 sq mi
#44 of 99 in Iowa · #1,762 in US
Density
36 / sq mi
#30 of 99 in Iowa · #1,763 in US
Median household income
$80,402
#10 of 99 in Iowa · #465 in US

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

Buchanan County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Buchanan County

Buchanan County population, land area and income

Buchanan County had 20,733 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 571.1 square miles of land. It ranks 31st of 99 in Iowa by population and 44th by land area. That works out to 36.3 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents; Buchanan County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $80,402 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

20,733

3144th1st

1786th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

571 sq mi

3144th1st

1762nd of 3,144 (US)

Density

36.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

1763rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$80,402

3143rd1st

465th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

20,733

99th1st

31st of 99 (IA)

Land area

571 sq mi

99th1st

44th of 99 (IA)

Density

36.3 / sq mi

99th1st

30th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$80,402

99th1st

10th of 99 (IA)

How Buchanan County's population changed since 2020

Buchanan County gained 127 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 0.6%. That ranks 29th 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, Buchanan County recorded 1,089 births and 943 deaths, a natural change of +146. Net international migration added +175 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -165. The largest single component was international migration, which added 175 people.

20.6k202020.7k202120.7k202220.7k202320.7k2024
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
1,089
Deaths
943
Net international migration
+175
Net domestic migration
-165
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+8

Where Buchanan County is

The Census internal point of Buchanan County is at 42.470300, -91.838700. 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 Buchanan 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: Buchanan County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.470300, -91.838700
DMS
42°28'13.08"N 91°50'19.32"W
UTM
15N 595465.3E 4702648.5N
Geohash
9zw9w5mp7
Plus code
86JCF5C6+4G

Towns in Buchanan County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Buchanan County, 9,380 people together, or 45% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Buchanan County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Independence with 6,266.

  1. 01Independence6,266
  2. 02Jesup (part)2,343
  3. 03Fairbank (part)771
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Buchanan County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Buchanan County. The most populous is Linn County, IA, with 231,762 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 109.1 miles WSW of Buchanan County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cedar Rapids, IA (population 137,904), 35.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Waterloo, IA (population 67,477), 26.2 miles away.

Buchanan County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Buchanan County is 19019: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $80,402.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Buchanan County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 20,733. That is up 127 people (0.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 20,606.

What is the FIPS code of Buchanan County?

19019. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Buchanan County?

Independence, with 6,266 residents inside Buchanan County in 2024.

Which counties border Buchanan County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Linn County, IA; Black Hawk County, IA; Benton County, IA; Bremer County, IA; Fayette County, IA; Delaware County, IA; Clayton 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.