County profile

Emmet County

Iowa · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
9,262
Median household income
$63,730
People below poverty
9.9%
Median home value
$114,100

Income

The median income of households in Emmet County, Iowa was $63,730. An estimated 4.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.2% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.2
$10,000 to $14,999 5
$15,000 to $24,999 8
$25,000 to $34,999 5.6
$35,000 to $49,999 17
$50,000 to $74,999 17.4
$75,000 to $99,999 18.1
$100,000 to $149,999 16.9
$150,000 to $199,999 4.6
$200,000 or more 3.2

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 54426
Female 39209

An estimated 76.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 37.6% of households received Social Security and an estimated 21.2 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,439. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76.2
Social Security 37.6
Retirement income 21.2
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5
Cash public assistance income 2.5

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 9.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 12% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.4% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 9.1% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 9.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 12
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.4
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 9.1

In 2020-2024, 8.5 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 33.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 37.8% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 19.5% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024, 94.2% had health insurance coverage and 5.8% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 71% and public coverage was 39.7%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.6%.


In 2020-2024, Emmet County, Iowa had a total population of 9,262 - 4,533 (48.9%) females and 4,729 (51.1%) males. The median age was 42.9 years. An estimated 19.1% of the population was under 18 years, 27.1% was 19 to 44 years, 24.4% was 45 to 64 years, and 24.1 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 193 181
5 to 9 202 338
10 to 14 262 172
15 to 19 521 400
20 to 24 282 162
25 to 29 298 270
30 to 34 199 215
35 to 39 295 239
40 to 44 263 287
45 to 49 254 224
50 to 54 277 224
55 to 59 262 312
60 to 64 383 317
65 to 69 352 292
70 to 74 315 356
75 to 79 193 200
80 to 84 110 127
85 and over 68 217

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 87.1% were White; 1.6% were Black or African American; 8.4% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.2% were Asian; 1% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 7.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 10.2% of the people in Emmet County, Iowa were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 85.2% of the people in Emmet County, Iowa were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 4,063 households in Emmet County, Iowa. The average household size was 2.15 people.

Married-couple households made up 40.3% of the households in Emmet County, Iowa while cohabiting couple households made up 9.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.1% of all households, while 24.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 19.9% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 37.4% of all households.

In Emmet County, Iowa, 20.8% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 38.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 40.3
Cohabiting Couples 9.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
24.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.1

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 43.5% of males and 43.6% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 40.1 27
Now married, except separated 43.5 43.6
Separated 1.8 0.2
Widowed 2 12.4
Divorced 12.6 16.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Emmet County, Iowa, 109 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 100% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 96.6% of the people living in Emmet County, Iowa were U.S. natives. 65.5% of the Emmet County, Iowa population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3.4% of Emmet County, Iowa residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 49.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 88.7 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Emmet County, Iowa come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Emmet County, Iowa.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 73.6
Asia 3.5
Europe 22.8
Africa 0
Northern America 0
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024, 8.2 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 7.2% of people at least five years old; 3.4% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 7.2
Other Indo-European languages 0.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Emmet County, Iowa were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 91.4
Different house, same county 2.5
Different county, same state 3.5
Different state 2.5
Abroad 0.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 90.1 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 17.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 9.9% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Emmet County, Iowa was 2,177 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 121 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 1,392. College or graduate school enrollment was 664.

Educational Attainment of People in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 9.9
High school diploma or equivalency 36.1
Some college, no degree 18.9
Associate's degree 18
Bachelor's degree 12.6
Graduate or professional degree 4.4

Disability

In Emmet County, Iowa, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 18.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 7.1% of people under 18 years old, to 13% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 41.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Emmet County, Iowa, 64.1 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 34.7% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 81.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 10.6% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 4,088 81.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 530 10.6
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 378 7.6

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Emmet County, Iowa worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 8.1
Construction 6.2
Manufacturing 17.2
Wholesale trade 2.9
Retail trade 14.8
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.6
Information 1.2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 2.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 7.2
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 21.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 5.8
Other Services, except public administration 3.3
Public administration 3.5

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,369 27.4
Service occupations 969 19.4
Sales and office occupations 861 17.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 686 13.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,113 22.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 77.9% of Emmet County, Iowa workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20.9 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 77.9
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 4.2
Other means 1.6
Worked from home 6.8

In 2020-2024, Emmet County, Iowa had a total of 4,520 housing units. Of these housing units, 84.3% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 12.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 3.2% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 84.3
Apartments in multi-unit structures 12.6
Mobile homes 3.2
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

4.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 33.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Emmet County, Iowa was 6.2 rooms, and of these housing units 62.3% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Emmet County, Iowa had 4,063 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 457 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 79.4% while renters occupied 20.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.17 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.06.

1.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14.8% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6.1% and another 28.5% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Emmet County, Iowa:

House Heating Fuel Used in Emmet County, Iowa in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 82.5
Electricity 15.6
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.4
All other fuels 0.3
No fuel used 1.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Emmet County, Iowa was $114,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 54.1 % had a mortgage. 45.9% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,074 and for owners without a mortgage it was $509.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Emmet County, Iowa was $733. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.