• county
  • FIPS 19171
  • Largest town: Tama

Tama County, Iowa

Tama County had 16,738 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 721.0 square miles of land. It ranks 43rd of 99 in Iowa by population and 9th by land area.

Population
16,738
#43 of 99 in Iowa · #1,991 in US
Area
721.0 sq mi
#9 of 99 in Iowa · #1,240 in US
Density
23 / sq mi
#59 of 99 in Iowa · #2,123 in US
Median household income
$66,288
#60 of 99 in Iowa · #1,271 in US

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

Tama County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Tama County

Tama County population, land area and income

Tama County had 16,738 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 721.0 square miles of land. It ranks 43rd of 99 in Iowa by population and 9th by land area. That works out to 23.2 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; Tama County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $66,288 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

16,738

3144th1st

1991st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

721 sq mi

3144th1st

1240th of 3,144 (US)

Density

23.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

2123rd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$66,288

3143rd1st

1271st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

16,738

99th1st

43rd of 99 (IA)

Land area

721 sq mi

99th1st

9th of 99 (IA)

Density

23.2 / sq mi

99th1st

59th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$66,288

99th1st

60th of 99 (IA)

How Tama County's population changed since 2020

Tama County lost 306 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.8%. That ranks 78th 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, Tama County recorded 808 births and 943 deaths, a natural change of -135. Net international migration added +141 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -357. The largest single component was domestic migration, which removed 357 people.

17.0k202016.9k202116.9k202216.8k202316.7k2024
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
808
Deaths
943
Net international migration
+141
Net domestic migration
-357
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-49

Where Tama County is

The Census internal point of Tama County is at 42.074800, -92.529400. 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 Tama 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: Tama County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
42.074800, -92.529400
DMS
42°04'29.28"N 92°31'45.84"W
UTM
15N 538928.3E 4658188.4N
Geohash
9zqpq7qpk
Plus code
86J93FFC+W6

Towns in Tama County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Tama County, 8,182 people together, or 49% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Tama County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Tama with 2,997.

  1. 01Tama2,997
  2. 02Toledo2,372
  3. 03Traer1,547
  4. 04Dysart1,266
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Tama County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Tama 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 64.6 miles WSW of Tama County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Cedar Rapids, IA (population 137,904), 44.3 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Marshalltown, IA (population 27,886), 19.5 miles away.

Tama County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Tama County is 19171: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 171. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $66,288.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Tama County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 16,738. That is down 306 people (1.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 17,044.

What is the FIPS code of Tama County?

19171. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (171) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Tama County?

Tama, with 2,997 residents inside Tama County in 2024.

Which counties border Tama County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Black Hawk County, IA; Marshall County, IA; Jasper County, IA; Benton County, IA; Poweshiek County, IA; Iowa County, IA; Grundy 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.