Population 27,422 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Fort Dodge
Household size in Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.35 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.24 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.12 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.20 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.15 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Fort Dodge are small: just 2.20 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Household size has dropped from 2.35 in 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.6 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 38.8 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 38.0 | 39.7 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.2 | 39.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | −1.4 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
Fort Dodge is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 38.2, against 40.1 nationally. The median age has dropped from 39.6 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose. Residents skew youngest in the west and oldest in the east.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.8% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 14.2% | 9.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 12.8% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.9% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.9 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in ten households in Fort Dodge (10.9%), close to the national share of 11.6%. The single-parent share has fallen 1.9 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country.
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 Fort Dodge
Renters in Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.9% | 26.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 37.4% | 28.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.4% | 28.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 33.6% | 28.3% | 34.8% |
| Change | −1.3 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
About a third of households in Fort Dodge rent their homes (33.6%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Renters make up a bigger share here than in Iowa as a whole (28.3%). Among homeowners, 48.0% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%. The renter share is down 1.3 points from 2006–10, even as the national share rose.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.1% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 12.0% | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 9.3% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.6% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | +5.5 pts | +0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 13.6% of the housing in Fort Dodge, 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. Vacancy is up 5.5 points from 2006–10, even as the national rate fell.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1957 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1955 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1955 | 1969 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1959 | 1971 | 1980 |
| Change | +2 | +6 | +6 |
Fort Dodge is a place of older homes: half were built before 1959, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Newer construction is concentrated in the southwest, while the center has the oldest housing.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $562 | $669 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $562 | $732 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $731 | $821 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $847 | $1,020 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$285 | +$351 | +$606 |
The median renter in Fort Dodge pays $847 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rents are up $285 a month from 2006–10, a 51% rise, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 29.3% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. The priciest rents are in the southwest; the most affordable are in the center.
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 Fort Dodge
Bachelor's degrees in Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 19.6% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 20.4% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.4% | 29.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 21.2% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | +5.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Fort Dodge have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 21.2%, against 35.6% nationally. The share with a degree has risen 1.6 points since 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the north and least in the center.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 87.6% | 90.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 89.4% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 89.5% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.9% | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.3 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Fort Dodge is above the national rate: 92.9% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. Iowa as a whole looks much the same. The share with a diploma has risen 5.3 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
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 Fort Dodge
| Period | Fort Dodge | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.1% | 5.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 10.1% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.6% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.8% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −2.2 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Fort Dodge is close to the national rate: 5.8% of the labor force, against 5.4%. The rate is higher than in Iowa overall (3.7%). Unemployment has fallen 2.2 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
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).
Fort Dodge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Dodge | 2.20 | 38.2 | 10.9% | 33.6% | 13.6% | 1959 | $847 | 21.2% | 92.9% | 5.8% |
| Tara | 2.04 | 40.6 | 4.9% | 20.5% | 14.3% | 1982 | $841 | 24.5% | 95.4% | 3.2% |
| Otho | 1.86 | 53.4 | 5.7% | 19.3% | 6.6% | 1962 | $650 | 17.9% | 91.9% | 1.1% |
| Evanston | 2.11 | 38.6 | 1.1% | 38.2% | 4.8% | 1962 | $809 | 14.0% | 93.6% | 4.1% |
| Roberts | 2.85 | 38.1 | 3.1% | 7.3% | 2.1% | 1938 | $444 | 26.0% | 98.3% | 0.5% |
| Badger | 2.54 | 34.7 | 9.8% | 9.3% | 5.4% | 1970 | $702 | 33.7% | 96.1% | 1.6% |
| Moorland | 2.45 | 44.0 | 14.2% | 13.1% | 4.9% | 1941 | $624 | 20.8% | 92.9% | 1.5% |
| Vincent | 2.06 | 47.4 | 3.0% | 23.6% | 13.1% | 1940 | $640 | 23.9% | 98.3% | 4.5% |
| Duncombe | 2.11 | 40.1 | 1.6% | 35.9% | 6.0% | 1958 | $783 | 15.5% | 94.2% | 4.1% |
| Clare | 2.53 | 45.7 | 5.8% | 4.9% | 6.5% | 1973 | $676 | 30.0% | 96.3% | 0.8% |
| Barnum | 2.52 | 47.1 | 5.6% | 4.5% | 10.3% | 1973 | $696 | 31.5% | 97.3% | 1.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Peyton, CO · Montclair, NJ · Murray, KY · Muscatine, IA · Natchez, MS · North Wales, PA · Ottumwa, IA · Owatonna, MN · Pacific Palisades, CA · Paris, TX
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 Fort Dodge. 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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