• county
  • FIPS 19065
  • Largest town: Oelwein

Fayette County, Iowa

Fayette County had 19,152 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 730.8 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 99 in Iowa by population and 7th by land area.

Population
19,152
#36 of 99 in Iowa · #1,873 in US
Area
730.8 sq mi
#7 of 99 in Iowa · #1,211 in US
Density
26 / sq mi
#50 of 99 in Iowa · #2,035 in US
Median household income
$62,103
#80 of 99 in Iowa · #1,632 in US

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

Fayette County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Fayette County

Fayette County population, land area and income

Fayette County had 19,152 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 730.8 square miles of land. It ranks 36th of 99 in Iowa by population and 7th by land area. That works out to 26.2 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; Fayette County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,103 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

19,152

3144th1st

1873rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

731 sq mi

3144th1st

1211th of 3,144 (US)

Density

26.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

2035th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,103

3143rd1st

1632nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

19,152

99th1st

36th of 99 (IA)

Land area

731 sq mi

99th1st

7th of 99 (IA)

Density

26.2 / sq mi

99th1st

50th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$62,103

99th1st

80th of 99 (IA)

How Fayette County's population changed since 2020

Fayette County lost 296 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.5%. That ranks 73rd 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, Fayette County recorded 898 births and 1,097 deaths, a natural change of -199. Net international migration added +93 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -238. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 238 people.

19.4k202019.3k202119.3k202219.2k202319.2k2024
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
898
Deaths
1,097
Net international migration
+93
Net domestic migration
-238
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-87

Where Fayette County is

The Census internal point of Fayette County is at 42.864100, -91.840400. 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 Fayette 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: Fayette County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.864100, -91.840400
DMS
42°51'50.76"N 91°50'25.44"W
UTM
15N 594725.6E 4746375.6N
Geohash
9zwey55v7
Plus code
86JCV575+JR

Towns in Fayette County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Fayette County, 9,789 people together, or 51% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Fayette County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Oelwein with 5,788.

  1. 01Oelwein5,788
  2. 02West Union2,435
  3. 03Fayette1,193
  4. 04Fairbank (part)362
  5. 05Sumner (part)11
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Fayette County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 8 neighbors for Fayette County. The most populous is Black Hawk County, IA, with 132,348 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 126.0 miles SW of Fayette County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cedar Rapids, IA (population 137,904), 62.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Waverly, IA (population 10,576), 33.4 miles away.

Fayette County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Fayette County is 19065: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 065. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,103.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Fayette County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 19,152. That is down 296 people (1.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 19,448.

What is the FIPS code of Fayette County?

19065. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (065) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Fayette County?

Oelwein, with 5,788 residents inside Fayette County in 2024.

Which counties border Fayette County?

8 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Black Hawk County, IA; Bremer County, IA; Buchanan County, IA; Winneshiek County, IA; Delaware County, IA; Clayton County, IA; Allamakee County, IA; Chickasaw 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.