Population 3,641 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Ely
Household size in Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.72 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.73 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.89 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.77 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.05 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Ely average 2.77 people, a bit above the national 2.65, so families with children are somewhat more common here.
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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 32.7 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 33.5 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 34.5 | 39.7 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 37.7 | 39.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +4.9 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
Ely is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 37.7, against 40.1 nationally. The median age has climbed from 32.7 in 2006–10, 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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.6% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 5.7% | 9.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.7% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.6% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | +2.0 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are a bit less common in Ely than nationally: 9.6%, against 11.6%. That is in line with the rest of Iowa.
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 Ely
Renters in Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.1% | 26.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.3% | 28.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 18.3% | 28.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 15.5% | 28.3% | 34.8% |
| Change | −8.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Ely is largely a place of homeowners: only 15.5% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. More than a quarter of owners (27.7%) have paid off their mortgages, well below 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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.9% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.3% | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.5% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.4% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | −3.5 pts | +0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Empty homes are scarce in Ely: just 5.4% sit vacant, compared with 9.6% nationally, a sign of a tight housing market.
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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1993 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1996 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1996 | 1969 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1999 | 1971 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +6 | +6 |
Ely has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1999, versus 1980 nationally.
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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $627 | $669 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $704 | $732 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $705 | $821 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $815 | $1,020 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$187 | +$351 | +$606 |
Rent in Ely runs $815 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 19.8% of the typical renter's income, comfortably 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 Ely
Bachelor's degrees in Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.1% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 34.9% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 31.6% | 29.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 39.4% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +12.3 pts | +5.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
About four in ten adults 25 and older in Ely (39.4%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a bit above 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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 95.2% | 90.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 98.3% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 97.1% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 97.9% | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +2.7 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Ely: 97.9% 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 Ely
| Period | Ely | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.7% | 5.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 4.4% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.2% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.8% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.8 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
The job market in Ely has been strong: just 1.8% 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).
Ely compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ely | 2.77 | 37.7 | 9.6% | 15.5% | 5.4% | 1999 | $815 | 39.4% | 97.9% | 1.8% |
| Shueyville | 2.60 | 50.4 | 3.7% | 2.9% | 1.0% | 1988 | $1,203 | 45.8% | 99.1% | 1.8% |
| Bertram | 2.57 | 58.9 | 1.8% | 2.8% | 11.6% | 1987 | $970 | 52.9% | 97.7% | 2.3% |
| Twin View Heights | 2.57 | 49.8 | 3.8% | 2.7% | 2.6% | 1988 | $1,176 | 48.0% | 98.9% | 1.5% |
| Swisher | 2.69 | 43.3 | 3.8% | 11.9% | 3.1% | 1984 | $1,189 | 44.9% | 97.2% | 2.5% |
| Solon | 2.66 | 42.9 | 11.0% | 12.4% | 6.0% | 1994 | $1,170 | 49.8% | 97.7% | 2.2% |
| Cedar Rapids | 2.37 | 38.9 | 11.7% | 30.5% | 9.2% | 1975 | $1,091 | 32.7% | 93.9% | 3.5% |
| Mount Vernon | 2.73 | 35.4 | 10.9% | 13.6% | 9.2% | 1972 | $815 | 40.4% | 92.1% | 1.3% |
| Fairfax | 2.55 | 42.3 | 4.6% | 13.3% | 6.6% | 2002 | $1,125 | 41.8% | 97.6% | 2.4% |
| Sutliff | 2.38 | 56.4 | 5.9% | 16.4% | 11.8% | 1978 | $1,132 | 41.1% | 98.3% | 1.9% |
| North Liberty | 2.62 | 34.8 | 8.4% | 31.0% | 6.0% | 2003 | $1,252 | 54.8% | 98.1% | 2.6% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Henrietta, TX · Sparta, MO · Squaw Valley, CA · Sharpsburg, MD · Sardis, MS · Pisgah, AL · Summerset, SD · Thorp, WI · Twain Harte, CA · Victor, MT
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 Ely. 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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