Earling, IA Demographics

Population 539 · Census ACS 2020–24

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

Household size in Earling

Household size, people per household
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–102.722.442.68
2010–142.762.452.73
2015–192.262.432.71
2020–242.092.432.65
Change−0.62−0.01−0.03
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Earling is a place of small households, averaging 2.09 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has dropped from 2.72 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

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 Earling

Median age, years
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–1051.138.837.7
2010–1435.939.338.6
2015–1951.339.739.6
2020–2444.539.840.1
Change−6.6+1.0+2.3
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Earling skews older: half of its residents are older than 44.5, 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 Earling

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–103.7%9.5%12.3%
2010–146.3%9.9%12.3%
2015–193.2%10.0%11.6%
2020–246.3%10.0%11.6%
Change+2.6 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 6.3% of households in Earling, 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 Earling

Renters in Earling

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–107.2%26.8%33.3%
2010–1411.9%28.2%35.6%
2015–1920.5%28.9%36.0%
2020–2420.3%28.3%34.8%
Change+13.1 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 20.3% of households in Earling rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. More than half of owners (54.6%) have paid off their mortgages, 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 Earling

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–104.7%8.7%11.4%
2010–141.2%8.6%11.4%
2015–1912.0%9.4%11.1%
2020–2415.5%8.8%9.6%
Change+10.8 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacant homes make up 15.5% of the housing in Earling, 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 Earling

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–10194619651974
2010–14194719671975
2015–19194519691977
2020–24195119711980
Change+4+6+6
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The housing in Earling is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1951, 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 Earling

Rent, per month
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–10$481$669$965
2010–14$602$732$1,040
2015–19$490$821$1,213
2020–24$841$1,020$1,571
Change+$359+$351+$606
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The median renter in Earling pays $841 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 29.9% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.

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 Earling

Bachelor's degrees in Earling

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–1011.7%26.5%28.4%
2010–1414.4%27.9%29.6%
2015–1922.5%29.3%32.1%
2020–2426.8%32.3%35.6%
Change+15.1 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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More than a quarter of adults 25 and older in Earling (26.8%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, 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 Earling

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–1082.3%90.4%84.9%
2010–1488.8%91.4%86.1%
2015–1992.6%92.1%87.7%
2020–2496.5%93.0%89.3%
Change+14.1 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Earling: 96.5% 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 Earling

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodEarlingIowaU.S.
2006–102.5%5.2%8.1%
2010–143.8%5.4%9.4%
2015–191.7%3.7%5.6%
2020–243.5%3.7%5.4%
Change+1.0 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Earling runs below the national rate: 3.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. The picture is much the same across Iowa. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current 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).

Earling compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Earling2.0944.56.3%20.3%15.5%1951$84126.8%96.5%3.5%
Westphalia2.1741.76.4%18.3%7.2%1944$85125.5%97.9%1.0%
Defiance2.3140.04.2%16.4%12.6%1950$79923.6%95.8%2.2%
Panama2.2544.54.9%15.0%3.9%1946$80523.3%96.2%0.8%
Buck Grove3.0633.96.2%18.2%16.2%1938$69316.9%99.0%1.2%
Dow City2.4938.06.0%27.5%7.0%1951$73315.3%93.3%0.5%
Irwin2.3847.413.4%24.4%6.2%1943$73121.2%97.7%1.0%
Dunlap2.1351.35.3%26.5%6.4%1951$87215.5%93.3%3.5%
Harlan2.5544.97.5%24.4%13.9%1961$78425.1%94.4%4.1%
Portsmouth2.2149.53.3%16.5%3.5%1955$69220.1%92.5%0.6%
Kirkman2.5040.88.2%16.8%8.9%1953$75528.4%97.3%1.2%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Chandler, MN · Rattan, OK · Braswell, GA · Brier Hill, NY · Ramey, PA · Byers, TX · Gulf, NC · Wheeling, MO · Cedar Hills Estates, AL · Center Cross, VA

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 Earling. 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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