• county
  • FIPS 19179
  • Largest town: Ottumwa

Wapello County, Iowa

Wapello County had 35,681 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 431.8 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 99 in Iowa by population and 86th by land area.

Population
35,681
#20 of 99 in Iowa · #1,299 in US
Area
431.8 sq mi
#86 of 99 in Iowa · #2,348 in US
Density
83 / sq mi
#14 of 99 in Iowa · #1,047 in US
Median household income
$61,642
#82 of 99 in Iowa · #1,672 in US

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

Wapello County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Wapello County

Wapello County population, land area and income

Wapello County had 35,681 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 431.8 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 99 in Iowa by population and 86th by land area. That works out to 82.6 people per square mile, near the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents, so Wapello County is 2.4 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $61,642 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

35,681

3144th1st

1299th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

432 sq mi

3144th1st

2348th of 3,144 (US)

Density

82.6 / sq mi

3144th1st

1047th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$61,642

3143rd1st

1672nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

35,681

99th1st

20th of 99 (IA)

Land area

432 sq mi

99th1st

86th of 99 (IA)

Density

82.6 / sq mi

99th1st

14th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$61,642

99th1st

82nd of 99 (IA)

How Wapello County's population changed since 2020

Wapello County gained 354 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.0%. That ranks 18th 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, Wapello County recorded 1,926 births and 2,011 deaths, a natural change of -85. Net international migration added +1,109 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -784. The largest single component was international migration, which added 1,109 people.

35.3k202035.3k202135.1k202235.4k202335.7k2024
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
1,926
Deaths
2,011
Net international migration
+1,109
Net domestic migration
-784
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+264

Where Wapello County is

The Census internal point of Wapello County is at 41.031300, -92.409500. 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 Wapello 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: Wapello County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
41.031300, -92.409500
DMS
41°01'52.68"N 92°24'34.20"W
UTM
15N 549638.6E 4542399.6N
Geohash
9zq33jt2w
Plus code
86H92HJR+G6

Towns in Wapello County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Wapello County, 25,648 people together, or 72% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wapello County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Ottumwa with 25,648.

  1. 01Ottumwa25,648
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wapello County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Wapello County. The most populous is Mahaska County, IA, with 22,034 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 73.1 miles WNW of Wapello County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Des Moines, IA (population 213,096), 72.7 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Ottumwa, IA (population 25,648), 0.9 miles away.

Wapello County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wapello County is 19179: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 179. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $61,642.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wapello County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 35,681. That is up 354 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 35,327.

What is the FIPS code of Wapello County?

19179. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (179) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wapello County?

Ottumwa, with 25,648 residents inside Wapello County in 2024.

Which counties border Wapello County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Mahaska County, IA; Jefferson County, IA; Appanoose County, IA; Keokuk County, IA; Davis County, IA; Monroe County, IA; Van Buren 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.