• county
  • FIPS 19089
  • Largest town: Cresco

Howard County, Iowa

Howard County had 9,360 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 473.3 square miles of land. It ranks 79th of 99 in Iowa by population and 75th by land area.

Population
9,360
#79 of 99 in Iowa · #2,463 in US
Area
473.3 sq mi
#75 of 99 in Iowa · #2,180 in US
Density
20 / sq mi
#74 of 99 in Iowa · #2,256 in US
Median household income
$67,552
#55 of 99 in Iowa · #1,160 in US

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

Howard County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Howard County

Howard County population, land area and income

Howard County had 9,360 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 473.3 square miles of land. It ranks 79th of 99 in Iowa by population and 75th by land area. That works out to 19.8 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; Howard County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $67,552 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

9,360

3144th1st

2463rd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

473 sq mi

3144th1st

2180th of 3,144 (US)

Density

19.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

2256th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$67,552

3143rd1st

1160th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

9,360

99th1st

79th of 99 (IA)

Land area

473 sq mi

99th1st

75th of 99 (IA)

Density

19.8 / sq mi

99th1st

74th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$67,552

99th1st

55th of 99 (IA)

How Howard County's population changed since 2020

Howard County lost 137 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.4%. That ranks 71st 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, Howard County recorded 491 births and 530 deaths, a natural change of -39. Net international migration added +24 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -96. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 96 people.

9,49720209,50920219,50220229,35720239,3602024
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
491
Deaths
530
Net international migration
+24
Net domestic migration
-96
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+3

Where Howard County is

The Census internal point of Howard County is at 43.365300, -92.321900. 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 Howard 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: Howard County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
43.365300, -92.321900
DMS
43°21'55.08"N 92°19'18.84"W
UTM
15N 554942.3E 4801605.3N
Geohash
9zwqenmjp
Plus code
86M99M8H+46

Towns in Howard County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Howard County, 3,890 people together, or 42% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Howard County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Cresco with 3,890.

  1. 01Cresco3,890
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Howard County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Howard County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Mower County, MN, with 40,900 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 138.9 miles SSW of Howard County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Rochester, MN (population 123,624), 45.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Austin, MN (population 26,690), 39.1 miles away.

Howard County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Howard County is 19089: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 089. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $67,552.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Howard County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 9,360. That is down 137 people (1.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 9,497.

What is the FIPS code of Howard County?

19089. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (089) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Howard County?

Cresco, with 3,890 residents inside Howard County in 2024.

Which counties border Howard County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Mower County, MN; Fillmore County, MN; Winneshiek County, IA; Floyd County, IA; Chickasaw County, IA; Mitchell 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.