Curlew, IA Demographics

Population 216 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Curlew, IA map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Curlew

Household size in Curlew

Household size, people per household
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–102.272.442.68
2010–142.372.452.73
2015–192.492.432.71
2020–242.252.432.65
Change−0.02−0.01−0.03
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Curlew is a place of small households, averaging 2.25 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children.

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 Curlew

Median age, years
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–1044.038.837.7
2010–1440.439.338.6
2015–1944.139.739.6
2020–2450.639.840.1
Change+6.6+1.0+2.3
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Curlew skews older: half of its residents are older than 50.6, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 44.0, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

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 Curlew

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–106.2%9.5%12.3%
2010–147.0%9.9%12.3%
2015–195.3%10.0%11.6%
2020–246.0%10.0%11.6%
Change−0.3 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are relatively rare in Curlew: 6.0% of households, against 11.6% nationally.

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 Curlew

Renters in Curlew

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–1022.6%26.8%33.3%
2010–1417.0%28.2%35.6%
2015–1919.5%28.9%36.0%
2020–2415.3%28.3%34.8%
Change−7.3 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Curlew is largely a place of homeowners: only 15.3% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 56.4% have no mortgage at all, well 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 Curlew

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–1013.4%8.7%11.4%
2010–1410.2%8.6%11.4%
2015–1924.6%9.4%11.1%
2020–2429.4%8.8%9.6%
Change+16.0 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacant homes make up 29.4% of the housing in Curlew, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

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 Curlew

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–10195119651974
2010–14196019671975
2015–19195319691977
2020–24194719711980
Change−4+6+6
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The housing in Curlew is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1947, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.

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 Curlew

Rent, per month
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–10$367$669$965
2010–14$404$732$1,040
2015–19$605$821$1,213
2020–24$840$1,020$1,571
Change+$473+$351+$606
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The median renter in Curlew pays $840 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 35.7% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.

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 Curlew

Bachelor's degrees in Curlew

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–1013.6%26.5%28.4%
2010–1419.3%27.9%29.6%
2015–1927.5%29.3%32.1%
2020–2417.5%32.3%35.6%
Change+3.9 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Curlew have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 17.5%, against 35.6% nationally.

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 Curlew

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–1086.7%90.4%84.9%
2010–1492.4%91.4%86.1%
2015–1991.5%92.1%87.7%
2020–2497.1%93.0%89.3%
Change+10.3 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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Finishing high school is nearly universal in Curlew: 97.1% 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 Curlew

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodCurlewIowaU.S.
2006–108.0%5.2%8.1%
2010–147.6%5.4%9.4%
2015–191.8%3.7%5.6%
2020–245.4%3.7%5.4%
Change−2.6 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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At 5.4%, unemployment in Curlew is the same as the national rate. The rate is higher than in Iowa overall (3.7%). 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).

Curlew compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Curlew2.2550.66.0%15.3%29.4%1947$84017.5%97.1%5.4%
Mallard2.4244.74.3%17.1%23.8%1948$84716.9%96.6%5.2%
Ayrshire2.0158.47.3%9.8%37.4%1954$73030.1%97.2%2.6%
Havelock2.4340.710.1%21.1%18.1%1948$71015.8%87.2%4.9%
Laurens2.2744.29.4%26.4%19.9%1947$73217.2%90.5%4.3%
Plover2.4740.09.7%20.2%19.1%1948$70016.9%87.7%5.1%
Emmetsburg2.1242.110.9%30.0%14.4%1956$73615.5%92.2%2.3%
Webb2.4448.35.4%20.6%9.9%1953$89519.6%94.8%0.7%
Rodman2.5838.12.2%13.6%20.0%1959$70830.3%94.7%1.6%
Ruthven2.3544.07.7%16.9%24.7%1959$68224.8%95.4%1.0%
Marathon2.1954.82.5%9.7%17.7%1939$68816.8%94.3%5.6%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Ohio, MO · New Augusta, AR · New Columbus, PA · New Era, GA · New London, AR · New Marion, IN · New Offenburg, MO · New Russia, NY · New Salisbury, OH · New Scotland, NY

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 Curlew. 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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