Sanborn, IA Demographics

Population 1,684 · Census ACS 2020–24

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

Household size in Sanborn

Household size, people per household
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–102.382.442.68
2010–142.232.452.73
2015–192.322.432.71
2020–242.172.432.65
Change−0.22−0.01−0.03
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Sanborn is a place of small households, averaging 2.17 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.38, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

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 Sanborn

Median age, years
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–1047.538.837.7
2010–1449.739.338.6
2015–1941.839.739.6
2020–2447.539.840.1
Change+0.0+1.0+2.3
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With a median age of 47.5, Sanborn 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 Sanborn

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–106.1%9.5%12.3%
2010–146.0%9.9%12.3%
2015–198.7%10.0%11.6%
2020–247.3%10.0%11.6%
Change+1.2 pts+0.6 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are relatively rare in Sanborn: 7.3% of households, against 11.6% nationally.

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 Sanborn

Renters in Sanborn

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–1021.1%26.8%33.3%
2010–1418.9%28.2%35.6%
2015–1926.7%28.9%36.0%
2020–2425.9%28.3%34.8%
Change+4.8 pts+1.5 pts+1.5 pts
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Just over a quarter of households in Sanborn rent their homes (25.9%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. The picture is much the same across Iowa. About six in ten owners (61.8%) 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 Sanborn

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–108.4%8.7%11.4%
2010–147.2%8.6%11.4%
2015–194.7%9.4%11.1%
2020–244.4%8.8%9.6%
Change−4.0 pts+0.1 pts−1.8 pts
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Empty homes are scarce in Sanborn: just 4.4% 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 Sanborn

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–10196319651974
2010–14196419671975
2015–19196219691977
2020–24196619711980
Change+3+6+6
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Sanborn is a place of older homes: half were built before 1966, 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 Sanborn

Rent, per month
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–10$472$669$965
2010–14$526$732$1,040
2015–19$622$821$1,213
2020–24$932$1,020$1,571
Change+$460+$351+$606
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The median renter in Sanborn pays $932 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 34.4% 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 Sanborn

Bachelor's degrees in Sanborn

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–1015.7%26.5%28.4%
2010–1415.5%27.9%29.6%
2015–1917.5%29.3%32.1%
2020–2423.8%32.3%35.6%
Change+8.1 pts+5.8 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Sanborn have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 23.8%, 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 Sanborn

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–1084.3%90.4%84.9%
2010–1490.2%91.4%86.1%
2015–1989.1%92.1%87.7%
2020–2495.3%93.0%89.3%
Change+11.0 pts+2.7 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Sanborn: 95.3% 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 Sanborn

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSanbornIowaU.S.
2006–103.1%5.2%8.1%
2010–146.4%5.4%9.4%
2015–190.7%3.7%5.6%
2020–241.7%3.7%5.4%
Change−1.4 pts−1.5 pts−2.7 pts
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Unemployment in Sanborn has been low: just 1.7% 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).

Sanborn compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Sanborn2.1747.57.3%25.9%4.4%1966$93223.8%95.3%1.7%
Primghar2.6833.48.5%16.7%10.3%1959$78326.4%93.8%1.2%
Melvin2.1844.87.4%23.8%15.5%1950$61416.4%79.7%2.5%
Archer2.7734.62.5%16.6%15.6%1940$43926.6%88.4%0.0%
Hartley2.2644.67.0%18.2%11.7%1959$80419.9%91.8%2.2%
Sheldon2.4637.57.2%28.4%11.7%1968$80621.1%86.5%0.6%
Ashton2.1953.45.1%7.7%4.3%1950$88811.3%90.6%0.0%
Moneta2.7135.17.4%16.0%19.0%1948$86033.9%95.7%2.7%
Paullina2.2448.81.6%21.1%12.1%1950$77820.4%93.1%0.0%
Matlock2.9034.75.2%8.8%12.8%1956$81923.9%91.8%0.1%
Hospers2.7334.43.2%14.2%6.0%1957$68621.8%93.2%2.7%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Levittown, PR · Mohawk, TN · Maxwell, IA · Marshallville, GA · Marine On St. Croix, MN · Marble Hill, MO · Magazine, AR · Absarokee, MT · Livonia, LA · Pleasureville, KY

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 Sanborn. 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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