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WAUKEE, Iowa — America’s once-in-a-decade count is complete, and the 2020 Census produced some good results for the Hawkeye State.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 3.2 million people now live in Iowa, a 4.7 percent increase from 2010. However, the growth was mostly concentrated to urban areas, as 68 of Iowa’s 99 counties lost people in the past decade.

Dallas County remains the fastest-growing section of the state; its population increased by more than 50 percent since 2010. Nearly 100,000 people now call Dallas County home.

“They’re moving here from out of state, there are grandparents who are moving here to be closer to their grandkids,” said Waukee mayor Courtney Clarke. “It’s a wide variety of people.”

Waukee, which is entirely in Dallas County, also experienced a population boom. The Census Bureau reports Waukee’s population grew by nearly 75 percent since 2010, going from about 14,000 then to nearly 24,000 in the 2020 Census.

“I expect we’ll be at 35,000 in 2030,” Clarke said. “I think the reason people moved to Waukee 20 years ago is the reason people still move here today.”

Clarke said cities in Dallas County are continually preparing for an influx of new residents and businesses, but that they are ready for the growth.

“It’s not a challenge, but an area of continual focus. We take pride in where we came from.”

While Dallas County led the way in population growth, other counties in the metro also had notable increases:

  • Polk County is now at nearly 500,000 people after its population increased by 14 percent in the past decade;
  • Story County grew by 10 percent since 2010, and its population is nearly at 100,000 people;
  • Warren County’s population increased by 13 percent to about 52,000 residents.

For a nationwide map of the 2020 Census population growth results, click here.