The 10 Iowa Cities With The Largest Asian Population For 2024


The most Asian places in Iowa are Storm Lake and Ames for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Most Asian cities in Iowa research summary. We analyzed Iowa’s most recent Census data to determine the most Asian cities in Iowa based on the percentage of Asian residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The most Asian city in Iowa is Storm Lake based on the most recent Census data.

  • Storm Lake is 15.32% Asian.

  • The least Asian city in Iowa is Winterset.

  • Winterset is 0.0% Asian.

  • Iowa is 2.5% Asian.

  • Iowa is the 30th most Asian state in the United States.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Here are the cities in Iowa with the largest Asian population in 2024:

  1. Storm Lake
  2. Ames
  3. Coralville
  4. Fairfield
  5. Iowa City
  6. Bettendorf
  7. Des Moines
  8. Waukee
  9. Clive
  10. Hiawatha

Which city in Iowa had the largest Asian population? Storm Lake took the number one overall spot for the largest Asian in Iowa for 2024. 15.32% of Storm Lake identify as Asian.

Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.

To see where Iowa ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.

And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in Iowa or the most diverse places in Iowa.

The 10 Most Asian Cities In Iowa For 2024

Storm Lake, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Scott A. Miller | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,194
% Asian: 15.32%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,715
More on Storm Lake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Ames, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 66,265
% Asian: 10.08%
# Of Asian Residents: 6,678
More on Ames: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Coralville, IA

Source: Wikipedia User American007 (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 22,494
% Asian: 9.42%
# Of Asian Residents: 2,120
More on Coralville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Fairfield, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Bill Whittaker (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 9,474
% Asian: 8.7%
# Of Asian Residents: 824
More on Fairfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Iowa City, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Billwhittaker (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 74,878
% Asian: 7.8%
# Of Asian Residents: 5,839
More on Iowa City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Bettendorf, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 38,997
% Asian: 6.7%
# Of Asian Residents: 2,612
More on Bettendorf: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Des Moines, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 213,164
% Asian: 6.53%
# Of Asian Residents: 13,930
More on Des Moines: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Waukee, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Iowahwyman | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 25,045
% Asian: 6.49%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,626
More on Waukee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Clive, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 18,576
% Asian: 6.15%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,143
More on Clive: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Hiawatha, IA

Source: Wikipedia User RifeIdeas | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 7,179
% Asian: 6.1%
# Of Asian Residents: 438
More on Hiawatha: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Iowa With The Largest Asian Population For 2024

We used Saturday Night Science to compare Census data on race across every place in Iowa.

The Census’s most recently available data comes from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or Latino

Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.

We limited our analysis to cities with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 76 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 15.3% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of Asian population, with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Storm Lake took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Winterset was the least Asian city.

We updated this article for 2024. This report reflects our tenth time ranking the cities in Iowa with the largest Asian population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in Iowa ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Asian Populations Across Iowa

If you’re looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Iowa according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

The most Asian cities in Iowa are Storm Lake, Ames, Coralville, Fairfield, Iowa City, Bettendorf, Des Moines, Waukee, Clive, and Hiawatha.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Iowa:

  1. Winterset
  2. Cherokee
  3. Maquoketa

For more Iowa reading, check out:

Table: Asian Population By City In Iowa

Rank City Population Asian Population % Asian
1 Storm Lake 11,194 1,715 15.32%
2 Ames 66,265 6,678 10.08%
3 Coralville 22,494 2,120 9.42%
4 Fairfield 9,474 824 8.7%
5 Iowa City 74,878 5,839 7.8%
6 Bettendorf 38,997 2,612 6.7%
7 Des Moines 213,164 13,930 6.53%
8 Waukee 25,045 1,626 6.49%
9 Clive 18,576 1,143 6.15%
10 Hiawatha 7,179 438 6.1%
11 West Des Moines 68,744 4,160 6.05%
12 Johnston 23,856 1,391 5.83%
13 Urbandale 45,591 2,382 5.22%
14 Marshalltown 27,511 1,427 5.19%
15 North Liberty 20,393 958 4.7%
16 Grinnell 9,511 401 4.22%
17 Clear Lake 7,642 319 4.17%
18 Pleasant Hill 10,456 423 4.05%
19 Denison 8,316 327 3.93%
20 Cedar Falls 40,686 1,563 3.84%
21 Mount Pleasant 9,214 338 3.67%
22 Ankeny 68,392 2,154 3.15%
23 Charles City 7,364 231 3.14%
24 Webster City 7,787 220 2.83%
25 Cedar Rapids 136,929 3,673 2.68%
26 Waterloo 67,256 1,790 2.66%
27 Grimes 15,402 407 2.64%
28 Eldridge 6,693 175 2.61%
29 Sioux City 85,469 2,204 2.58%
30 Clarinda 5,371 122 2.27%
31 Anamosa 5,493 111 2.02%
32 Davenport 101,448 1,918 1.89%
33 Ottumwa 25,359 474 1.87%
34 Waverly 10,399 181 1.74%
35 Oskaloosa 11,492 197 1.71%
36 Marion 41,401 701 1.69%
37 Indianola 15,845 264 1.67%
38 Fort Dodge 24,850 403 1.62%
39 Burlington 23,976 364 1.52%
40 Pella 10,556 157 1.49%
41 Dubuque 59,315 866 1.46%
42 Decorah 7,611 110 1.45%
43 Council Bluffs 62,670 767 1.22%
44 Altoona 20,017 230 1.15%
45 Sheldon 5,417 58 1.07%
46 Knoxville 7,523 78 1.04%
47 Creston 7,519 76 1.01%
48 Sioux Center 8,227 82 1.0%
49 Washington 7,329 70 0.96%
50 Muscatine 23,671 189 0.8%
51 Mason City 27,271 210 0.77%
52 Carroll 10,270 67 0.65%
53 Atlantic 6,770 44 0.65%
54 Algona 5,443 31 0.57%
55 Iowa Falls 5,095 29 0.57%
56 Red Oak 5,563 25 0.45%
57 Spencer 11,351 49 0.43%
58 Estherville 5,881 21 0.36%
59 Orange City 6,278 20 0.32%
60 Fort Madison 10,293 32 0.31%
61 Perry 7,875 24 0.3%
62 Clinton 24,524 65 0.27%
63 Norwalk 13,057 33 0.25%
64 Le Mars 10,549 20 0.19%
65 Glenwood 5,128 8 0.16%
66 Centerville 5,393 6 0.11%
67 Newton 15,692 15 0.1%
68 Oelwein 5,934 1 0.02%
69 Nevada 6,933 1 0.01%
70 Boone 12,482 1 0.01%
71 Keokuk 9,868 0 0.0%
72 Manchester 5,112 0 0.0%
73 Independence 6,106 0 0.0%
74 Maquoketa 6,123 0 0.0%
75 Cherokee 5,154 0 0.0%
76 Winterset 5,366 0 0.0%
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

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