Belle Plaine, IA Demographics

Population 2,752 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Belle Plaine, IA map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Belle Plaine

Household size in Belle Plaine

Household size, people per household
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–102.202.442.68
2010–142.342.452.73
2015–192.272.432.71
2020–242.302.432.65
Change+0.11−0.01−0.03
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Belle Plaine is a place of small households, averaging 2.30 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has climbed from 2.20 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Belle Plaine

Median age, years
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–1041.338.837.7
2010–1440.239.338.6
2015–1944.939.739.6
2020–2449.039.840.1
Change+7.7+1.0+2.3
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Belle Plaine skews older: half of its residents are older than 49.0, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Belle Plaine

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–107.9%9.5%12.3%
2010–148.8%9.9%12.3%
2015–1911.8%10.0%11.6%
2020–247.2%10.0%11.6%
Change−0.7 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 7.2% of households in Belle Plaine, well below the national share of 11.6%.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Belle Plaine

Renters in Belle Plaine

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–1032.0%26.8%33.3%
2010–1427.6%28.2%35.6%
2015–1922.4%28.9%36.0%
2020–2418.2%28.3%34.8%
Change−13.8 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 18.2% of households in Belle Plaine rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. More than four in ten owners (44.7%) have paid off their mortgages, above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Belle Plaine

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–107.6%8.7%11.4%
2010–1413.3%8.6%11.4%
2015–1911.6%9.4%11.1%
2020–2410.7%8.8%9.6%
Change+3.1 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy in Belle Plaine is close to the national rate: 10.7% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. The rate is higher than in Iowa overall (8.8%).

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Belle Plaine

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–10194819651974
2010–14194819671975
2015–19194719691977
2020–24194619711980
Change−2+6+6
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Belle Plaine is a place of older homes: half were built before 1946, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Belle Plaine

Rent, per month
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–10$486$669$965
2010–14$581$732$1,040
2015–19$581$821$1,213
2020–24$870$1,020$1,571
Change+$384+$351+$606
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The median renter in Belle Plaine pays $870 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 19.9% of household income on rent, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Belle Plaine

Bachelor's degrees in Belle Plaine

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–109.6%26.5%28.4%
2010–1416.0%27.9%29.6%
2015–1913.9%29.3%32.1%
2020–2419.3%32.3%35.6%
Change+9.7 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are relatively uncommon in Belle Plaine: 19.3% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Belle Plaine

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–1084.2%90.4%84.9%
2010–1486.4%91.4%86.1%
2015–1989.0%92.1%87.7%
2020–2495.4%93.0%89.3%
Change+11.1 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Belle Plaine: 95.4% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Belle Plaine

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodBelle PlaineIowaU.S.
2006–105.0%5.2%8.1%
2010–143.8%5.4%9.4%
2015–194.7%3.7%5.6%
2020–241.3%3.7%5.4%
Change−3.7 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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The job market in Belle Plaine has been strong: just 1.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Belle Plaine compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Belle Plaine2.3049.07.2%18.2%10.7%1946$87019.3%95.4%1.3%
Irving2.6941.510.7%9.1%11.7%1950$84615.0%85.8%1.4%
Luzerne2.4549.01.4%26.6%1.3%1957$78939.9%98.2%0.7%
Koszta2.0756.610.6%6.6%2.5%1977$72010.8%93.9%8.2%
Chelsea2.8038.012.0%2.7%18.2%1956$8448.7%81.4%1.2%
Hartwick1.9651.35.6%11.8%25.5%1970$75118.4%93.6%3.8%
Keystone2.4748.59.7%19.2%4.9%1939$87521.7%92.3%2.5%
Elberon2.3552.88.4%11.2%14.2%1939$92413.3%94.5%2.5%
Vining2.2258.75.4%4.9%18.2%1941$1,0208.7%95.3%2.5%
Blairstown2.6340.08.4%16.8%5.6%1965$81120.7%97.0%1.7%
Victor2.6939.09.4%15.0%10.3%1962$78517.8%94.0%2.5%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Sullivans Island, SC · Moretown, VT · Kimball, NE · New Cordell, OK · Neoga, IL · Star Valley, AZ · Lesage, WV · Itasca, TX · Pine Prairie, TX · Carlisle, AR

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Belle Plaine. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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