• county
  • FIPS 19147
  • Largest town: Emmetsburg

Palo Alto County, Iowa

Palo Alto County had 8,809 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 563.9 square miles of land. It ranks 82nd of 99 in Iowa by population and 59th by land area.

Population
8,809
#82 of 99 in Iowa · #2,505 in US
Area
563.9 sq mi
#59 of 99 in Iowa · #1,824 in US
Density
16 / sq mi
#85 of 99 in Iowa · #2,372 in US
Median household income
$64,952
#71 of 99 in Iowa · #1,378 in US

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

Palo Alto County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Palo Alto County

Palo Alto County population, land area and income

Palo Alto County had 8,809 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 563.9 square miles of land. It ranks 82nd of 99 in Iowa by population and 59th by land area. That works out to 15.6 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents; Palo Alto County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $64,952 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

8,809

3144th1st

2505th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

564 sq mi

3144th1st

1824th of 3,144 (US)

Density

15.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

2372nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$64,952

3143rd1st

1378th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

8,809

99th1st

82nd of 99 (IA)

Land area

564 sq mi

99th1st

59th of 99 (IA)

Density

15.6 / sq mi

99th1st

85th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$64,952

99th1st

71st of 99 (IA)

How Palo Alto County's population changed since 2020

Palo Alto County lost 184 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 2.0%. That ranks 82nd 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, Palo Alto County recorded 443 births and 593 deaths, a natural change of -150. Net international migration added +22 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -65. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 150 people.

8,99320208,93220218,77220228,80720238,8092024
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
443
Deaths
593
Net international migration
+22
Net domestic migration
-65
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+2

Where Palo Alto County is

The Census internal point of Palo Alto County is at 43.075300, -94.669100. 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 Palo Alto 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: Palo Alto County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
43.075300, -94.669100
DMS
43°04'31.08"N 94°40'8.76"W
UTM
15N 364119.3E 4770528.7N
Geohash
9zstjc85f
Plus code
86M738GJ+49

Towns in Palo Alto County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Palo Alto County, 3,632 people together, or 41% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Palo Alto County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Emmetsburg with 3,632.

  1. 01Emmetsburg3,632
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Palo Alto County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Palo Alto County. The most populous is Buena Vista County, IA, with 20,816 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 116.1 miles SSE of Palo Alto County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 108.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Spencer, IA (population 11,418), 24.9 miles away.

Palo Alto County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Palo Alto County is 19147: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 147. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $64,952.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Palo Alto County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 8,809. That is down 184 people (2.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 8,993.

What is the FIPS code of Palo Alto County?

19147. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (147) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Palo Alto County?

Emmetsburg, with 3,632 residents inside Palo Alto County in 2024.

Which counties border Palo Alto County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Buena Vista County, IA; Dickinson County, IA; Clay County, IA; Kossuth County, IA; Humboldt County, IA; Emmet County, IA; Pocahontas 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.