Ruble, IA Demographics

Population 279 · Census ACS 2020–24

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

Household size in Ruble

Household size, people per household
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–102.712.442.68
2010–142.582.452.73
2015–192.382.432.71
2020–242.602.432.65
Change−0.11−0.01−0.03
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Households in Ruble average 2.60 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is bigger than in Iowa overall, where it has 2.43 people. Household size has dropped from 2.71 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 Ruble

Median age, years
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–1045.838.837.7
2010–1446.239.338.6
2015–1946.539.739.6
2020–2436.039.840.1
Change−9.8+1.0+2.3
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With a median age of just 36.0, Ruble is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults and children.

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 Ruble

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–108.7%9.5%12.3%
2010–144.0%9.9%12.3%
2015–196.6%10.0%11.6%
2020–2414.4%10.0%11.6%
Change+5.7 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are more common in Ruble than nationally: 14.4%, against 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 Ruble

Renters in Ruble

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–1019.3%26.8%33.3%
2010–1414.7%28.2%35.6%
2015–1913.2%28.9%36.0%
2020–2418.4%28.3%34.8%
Change−0.9 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Ruble is largely a place of homeowners: only 18.4% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 56.1% 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 Ruble

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–1011.8%8.7%11.4%
2010–146.4%8.6%11.4%
2015–196.1%9.4%11.1%
2020–243.3%8.8%9.6%
Change−8.5 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Empty homes are scarce in Ruble: just 3.3% 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 Ruble

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–10195719651974
2010–14195419671975
2015–19194819691977
2020–24196319711980
Change+6+6+6
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Ruble is a place of older homes: half were built before 1963, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating.

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 Ruble

Rent, per month
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–10$861$669$965
2010–14$703$732$1,040
2015–19$735$821$1,213
2020–24$1,213$1,020$1,571
Change+$352+$351+$606
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Rent in Ruble runs $1,213 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Still, rents here are higher than in Iowa as a whole ($1,020). The typical renter here spends 34.6% of household income on rent, 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 Ruble

Bachelor's degrees in Ruble

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–1024.5%26.5%28.4%
2010–1427.4%27.9%29.6%
2015–1930.1%29.3%32.1%
2020–2425.5%32.3%35.6%
Change+1.0 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are relatively uncommon in Ruble: 25.5% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well 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 Ruble

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–1089.6%90.4%84.9%
2010–1495.7%91.4%86.1%
2015–1995.9%92.1%87.7%
2020–2498.9%93.0%89.3%
Change+9.2 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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Finishing high school is nearly universal in Ruble: 98.9% 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 Ruble

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodRubleIowaU.S.
2006–103.0%5.2%8.1%
2010–144.9%5.4%9.4%
2015–190.7%3.7%5.6%
2020–242.3%3.7%5.4%
Change−0.7 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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The job market in Ruble has been strong: 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).

Ruble compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Ruble2.6036.014.4%18.4%3.3%1963$1,21325.5%98.9%2.3%
Brunsville2.6832.215.3%16.3%2.9%1962$1,34827.5%99.6%3.3%
Millnerville2.5149.51.5%14.8%3.1%1979$64620.0%93.8%0.3%
Akron2.2344.410.2%26.1%5.6%1966$75122.3%92.4%1.4%
Craig2.5140.415.6%22.5%7.6%1953$1,09121.8%98.0%0.1%
Chatsworth2.5642.38.3%13.5%12.1%1959$89224.6%91.8%0.5%
Merrill2.6142.27.9%14.6%13.0%1958$72116.6%94.4%2.0%
West Le Mars2.3337.73.9%34.6%6.9%1975$96115.8%93.4%0.7%
Westfield2.3351.91.4%19.6%2.9%1974$50015.1%92.4%0.5%
McNally2.6641.35.3%11.9%15.3%1959$98125.7%92.1%0.0%
Struble2.2745.64.2%17.6%14.5%1958$86527.4%95.8%0.8%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: La Salle, MT · James, MS · Jeffers, MT · Jerome, MO · Johntown, TX · Knobel, AR · Knox Corner, ME · Kramer, IN · Krok, WI · Kukuihaele, HI

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 Ruble. 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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