Population 375 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Harper
Household size in Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.49 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.20 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.78 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.63 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.14 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Harper average 2.63 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is bigger than in Iowa as a whole, where it has 2.43 people. Household size has climbed from 2.49 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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.9 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 47.7 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.3 | 39.7 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 45.2 | 39.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +2.4 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 45.2, Harper is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.9% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 4.1% | 9.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 3.4% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.1% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.8 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 5.1% of households in Harper, 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 Harper
Renters in Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.9% | 26.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 15.6% | 28.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 21.0% | 28.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 13.2% | 28.3% | 34.8% |
| Change | +2.3 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Harper is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 13.2% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 51.0% 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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.4% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.5% | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 14.1% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.2% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | +4.8 pts | +0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in Harper is close to the national rate: 10.2% of homes are empty, against 9.6%.
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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1949 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1942 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1938 | 1969 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1955 | 1971 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +6 | +6 |
The housing in Harper is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1955, 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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $601 | $669 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $703 | $732 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $801 | $821 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $824 | $1,020 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$223 | +$351 | +$606 |
Rent in Harper runs $824 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 15.7% 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 Harper
Bachelor's degrees in Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.0% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.6% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 31.1% | 29.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 16.1% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +0.1 pts | +5.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Harper have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 16.1%, 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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 91.3% | 90.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.7% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.9% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 95.8% | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +4.5 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Harper: 95.8% 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 Harper
| Period | Harper | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.5% | 5.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 0.4% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.4% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.3% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Harper has been low: just 2.3% 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).
Harper 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper | 2.63 | 45.2 | 5.1% | 13.2% | 10.2% | 1955 | $824 | 16.1% | 95.8% | 2.3% |
| Keota | 2.33 | 40.2 | 10.3% | 9.3% | 8.1% | 1956 | $772 | 18.2% | 93.8% | 0.4% |
| Talleyrand | 2.43 | 50.7 | 7.9% | 9.6% | 8.1% | 1974 | $768 | 24.3% | 98.9% | 0.6% |
| South English | 2.43 | 42.3 | 7.9% | 8.2% | 9.3% | 1948 | $855 | 14.8% | 94.4% | 2.9% |
| Sigourney | 2.14 | 45.9 | 8.7% | 26.9% | 14.0% | 1957 | $868 | 23.4% | 94.5% | 6.0% |
| Hayesville | 2.44 | 44.8 | 9.6% | 20.8% | 13.4% | 1955 | $865 | 18.7% | 96.2% | 4.5% |
| Kinross | 2.60 | 39.2 | 6.6% | 17.1% | 9.6% | 1949 | $825 | 17.9% | 92.4% | 3.6% |
| Webster | 2.55 | 42.0 | 10.8% | 9.5% | 8.9% | 1951 | $883 | 13.9% | 96.3% | 2.2% |
| Ollie | 2.55 | 38.8 | 13.7% | 19.0% | 10.1% | 1955 | $771 | 17.3% | 96.3% | 3.4% |
| Rubio | 2.50 | 40.8 | 12.1% | 13.6% | 11.4% | 1956 | $756 | 23.7% | 97.1% | 2.7% |
| North English | 2.23 | 45.8 | 13.6% | 31.0% | 8.4% | 1963 | $716 | 18.2% | 94.2% | 2.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Possumneck, MS · Ormsby, MN · Paicines, CA · Paineville, VA · Palmer, KS · Palmer, PA · Palmetto, MD · Pike, TX · Pilot Knob, IN · Pine Creek, MI
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 Harper. 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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