• county
  • FIPS 19169
  • Largest town: Ames

Story County, Iowa

Story County had 102,498 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 572.5 square miles of land. It ranks 8th of 99 in Iowa by population and 42nd by land area.

Population
102,498
#8 of 99 in Iowa · #609 in US
Area
572.5 sq mi
#42 of 99 in Iowa · #1,749 in US
Density
179 / sq mi
#7 of 99 in Iowa · #608 in US
Median household income
$71,539
#41 of 99 in Iowa · #888 in US

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

Story County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Story County

Story County population, land area and income

Story County had 102,498 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 572.5 square miles of land. It ranks 8th of 99 in Iowa by population and 42nd by land area. That works out to 179.0 people per square mile, 1.9 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents, so Story County is 6.8 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $71,539 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

102,498

3144th1st

609th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

573 sq mi

3144th1st

1749th of 3,144 (US)

Density

179.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

608th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$71,539

3143rd1st

888th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

102,498

99th1st

8th of 99 (IA)

Land area

573 sq mi

99th1st

42nd of 99 (IA)

Density

179.0 / sq mi

99th1st

7th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$71,539

99th1st

41st of 99 (IA)

How Story County's population changed since 2020

Story County gained 3,847 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 3.9%. That ranks 5th 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, Story County recorded 3,515 births and 2,627 deaths, a natural change of +888. Net international migration added +3,324 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -320. The largest single component was international migration, which added 3,324 people.

98.7k202099.7k2021100.0k2022101.5k2023102.5k2024
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
3,515
Deaths
2,627
Net international migration
+3,324
Net domestic migration
-320
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+997

Where Story County is

The Census internal point of Story County is at 42.037500, -93.466100. 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 Story 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: Story County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.037500, -93.466100
DMS
42°02'15.00"N 93°27'57.96"W
UTM
15N 461421.3E 4654044.9N
Geohash
9zmx1hsn4
Plus code
86J82GQM+2H

Towns in Story County

7 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Story County, 88,683 people together, or 87% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Story County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Ames with 69,026.

  1. 01Ames69,026
  2. 02Nevada7,082
  3. 03Huxley4,737
  4. 04Story City3,439
  5. 05Slater1,626
  6. 06Gilbert1,397
  7. 07Roland1,376
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Story County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Story County. The most populous is Polk County, IA, with 516,185 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 31.7 miles SSW of Story County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Des Moines, IA (population 213,096), 33.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Ames, IA (population 69,026), 8.0 miles away.

Story County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Story County is 19169: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 169. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $71,539.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Story County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 102,498. That is up 3,847 people (3.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 98,651.

What is the FIPS code of Story County?

19169. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (169) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Story County?

Ames, with 69,026 residents inside Story County in 2024.

Which counties border Story County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Polk County, IA; Marshall County, IA; Jasper County, IA; Boone County, IA; Hardin County, IA; Hamilton 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.