Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024

Buena Vista County had the highest population speaking a language other than English at home of 99 counties in 2024, at 36.5%. Harrison County had the lowest, at 1.4%. The median was 4.5% and the figure for Iowa was 9.1%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Median4.599 counties
Iowa9.1History

Map of counties, 2024

Adair County: 1.8 %Adams County: 2.5 %Allamakee County: 12.7 %Appanoose County: 6.8 %Audubon County: 2.6 %Benton County: 2.3 %Black Hawk County: 8.8 %Boone County: 2.6 %Bremer County: 2.4 %Buchanan County: 4 %Buena Vista County: 36.5 %Butler County: 2.9 %Calhoun County: 2.8 %Carroll County: 2 %Cass County: 1.4 %Cedar County: 1.7 %Cerro Gordo County: 3.7 %Cherokee County: 6.1 %Chickasaw County: 4.5 %Clarke County: 11.2 %Clay County: 3.2 %Clayton County: 5.7 %Clinton County: 2.9 %Crawford County: 27 %Dallas County: 13.2 %Davis County: 22.6 %Decatur County: 5.2 %Delaware County: 2.4 %Des Moines County: 3.1 %Dickinson County: 1.7 %Dubuque County: 4.8 %Emmet County: 8.2 %Fayette County: 3.8 %Floyd County: 3.4 %Franklin County: 15.4 %Fremont County: 2.3 %Greene County: 2.2 %Grundy County: 2.2 %Guthrie County: 2.2 %Hamilton County: 10.7 %Hancock County: 4.4 %Hardin County: 5.2 %Harrison County: 1.4 %Henry County: 4.4 %Howard County: 9.6 %Humboldt County: 6 %Ida County: 4.5 %Iowa County: 2.7 %Jackson County: 2.9 %Jasper County: 5.1 %Jefferson County: 15.9 %Johnson County: 14.7 %Jones County: 2.9 %Keokuk County: 3 %Kossuth County: 4.9 %Lee County: 2.6 %Linn County: 7.1 %Louisa County: 15.3 %Lucas County: 7.4 %Lyon County: 2.7 %Madison County: 3.9 %Mahaska County: 3.5 %Marion County: 3.3 %Marshall County: 24.8 %Mills County: 1.9 %Mitchell County: 6.5 %Monona County: 2.3 %Monroe County: 3.9 %Montgomery County: 2.5 %Muscatine County: 14.1 %O'Brien County: 7.6 %Osceola County: 10.2 %Page County: 2.5 %Palo Alto County: 3.7 %Plymouth County: 6.9 %Pocahontas County: 4.3 %Polk County: 14.7 %Pottawattamie County: 6.9 %Poweshiek County: 5.3 %Ringgold County: 3 %Sac County: 3.6 %Scott County: 7 %Shelby County: 2.7 %Sioux County: 12.5 %Story County: 11.1 %Tama County: 11.2 %Taylor County: 6.9 %Union County: 4.3 %Van Buren County: 15.1 %Wapello County: 15.1 %Warren County: 3 %Washington County: 7.7 %Wayne County: 8.2 %Webster County: 4.9 %Winnebago County: 6.4 %Winneshiek County: 4.6 %Woodbury County: 18.5 %Worth County: 3 %Wright County: 14.5 %
  • Under 2.5
  • 2.5 to 3.1
  • 3.1 to 4.5
  • 4.5 to 6.9
  • 6.9 to 12
  • 12 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Buena Vista County: 36.5 %Buena Vista County36.5Crawford County: 27 %Crawford County27Marshall County: 24.8 %Marshall County24.8Davis County: 22.6 %Davis County22.6Woodbury County: 18.5 %Woodbury County18.5Jefferson County: 15.9 %Jefferson County15.9Franklin County: 15.4 %Franklin County15.4Louisa County: 15.3 %Louisa County15.3Wapello County: 15.1 %Wapello County15.1Van Buren County: 15.1 %Van Buren County15.1Johnson County: 14.7 %Johnson County14.7Polk County: 14.7 %Polk County14.7Wright County: 14.5 %Wright County14.5Muscatine County: 14.1 %Muscatine County14.1Dallas County: 13.2 %Dallas County13.2Allamakee County: 12.7 %Allamakee County12.7Sioux County: 12.5 %Sioux County12.5Clarke County: 11.2 %Clarke County11.2Tama County: 11.2 %Tama County11.2Story County: 11.1 %Story County11.1Hamilton County: 10.7 %Hamilton County10.7Osceola County: 10.2 %Osceola County10.2Howard County: 9.6 %Howard County9.6Black Hawk County: 8.8 %Black Hawk County8.8Emmet County: 8.2 %Emmet County8.2Wayne County: 8.2 %Wayne County8.2Washington County: 7.7 %Washington County7.7O'Brien County: 7.6 %O'Brien County7.6Lucas County: 7.4 %Lucas County7.4Linn County: 7.1 %Linn County7.1Scott County: 7 %Scott County7Plymouth County: 6.9 %Plymouth County6.9Taylor County: 6.9 %Taylor County6.9Pottawattamie County: 6.9 %Pottawattamie County6.9Appanoose County: 6.8 %Appanoose County6.8Mitchell County: 6.5 %Mitchell County6.5Winnebago County: 6.4 %Winnebago County6.4Cherokee County: 6.1 %Cherokee County6.1Humboldt County: 6 %Humboldt County6Clayton County: 5.7 %Clayton County5.7Buena Vista County: 36.5 %Buena Vista County36.5Crawford County: 27 %Crawford County27Marshall County: 24.8 %Marshall County24.8Davis County: 22.6 %Davis County22.6Woodbury County: 18.5 %Woodbury County18.5Jefferson County: 15.9 %Jefferson County15.9Franklin County: 15.4 %Franklin County15.4Louisa County: 15.3 %Louisa County15.3Wapello County: 15.1 %Wapello County15.1Van Buren County: 15.1 %Van Buren County15.1Johnson County: 14.7 %Johnson County14.7Polk County: 14.7 %Polk County14.7Wright County: 14.5 %Wright County14.5Muscatine County: 14.1 %Muscatine County14.1Dallas County: 13.2 %Dallas County13.2Allamakee County: 12.7 %Allamakee County12.7Sioux County: 12.5 %Sioux County12.5Clarke County: 11.2 %Clarke County11.2Tama County: 11.2 %Tama County11.2Story County: 11.1 %Story County11.1Hamilton County: 10.7 %Hamilton County10.7Osceola County: 10.2 %Osceola County10.2Howard County: 9.6 %Howard County9.6Black Hawk County: 8.8 %Black Hawk County8.8Emmet County: 8.2 %Emmet County8.2Wayne County: 8.2 %Wayne County8.2Washington County: 7.7 %Washington County7.7O'Brien County: 7.6 %O'Brien County7.6Lucas County: 7.4 %Lucas County7.4Linn County: 7.1 %Linn County7.1Scott County: 7 %Scott County7Plymouth County: 6.9 %Plymouth County6.9Taylor County: 6.9 %Taylor County6.9Pottawattamie County: 6.9 %Pottawattamie County6.9Appanoose County: 6.8 %Appanoose County6.8Mitchell County: 6.5 %Mitchell County6.5Winnebago County: 6.4 %Winnebago County6.4Cherokee County: 6.1 %Cherokee County6.1Humboldt County: 6 %Humboldt County6Clayton County: 5.7 %Clayton County5.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Buena Vista County36.5+0.3 pts
2Crawford County27-0.8 pts
3Marshall County24.8+1 pts
4Davis County22.6+0.4 pts
5Woodbury County18.5+0.3 pts
6Jefferson County15.9+3.3 pts
7Franklin County15.4+0.3 pts
8Louisa County15.3+0.5 pts
9Wapello County15.1+1 pts
10Van Buren County15.1+4.8 pts
11Johnson County14.7-0.8 pts
12Polk County14.7+0.1 pts
13Wright County14.5-0.5 pts
14Muscatine County14.1-0.9 pts
15Dallas County13.2+0.6 pts
16Allamakee County12.7-1 pts
17Sioux County12.5+2 pts
18Clarke County11.2-1.8 pts
18Tama County11.2-0.1 pts
20Story County11.1+0.2 pts
21Hamilton County10.7+0.5 pts
22Osceola County10.2-0.7 pts
23Howard County9.6+0.9 pts
24Black Hawk County8.8-0.2 pts
25Emmet County8.2+0.8 pts
26Wayne County8.2-0.2 pts
27Washington County7.7+0.5 pts
28O'Brien County7.6+0.6 pts
29Lucas County7.4+2.7 pts
30Linn County7.1+0.2 pts
31Scott County7+0.6 pts
32Plymouth County6.9-0.6 pts
33Taylor County6.9+1.2 pts
34Pottawattamie County6.9+0.6 pts
35Appanoose County6.8+1.7 pts
36Mitchell County6.5-0.1 pts
37Winnebago County6.4+0.3 pts
38Cherokee County6.1+0.4 pts
39Humboldt County6+0.8 pts
40Clayton County5.7-1.1 pts
41Poweshiek County5.3+0.4 pts
42Decatur County5.2-1.3 pts
43Hardin County5.2+0.5 pts
44Jasper County5.1+0.4 pts
45Webster County4.9-0.5 pts
46Kossuth County4.9+0.6 pts
47Dubuque County4.8+0.2 pts
48Winneshiek County4.6+0.2 pts
49Chickasaw County4.5-1.3 pts
50Ida County4.5+1.3 pts
51Hancock County4.4+0.4 pts
52Henry County4.4-0.6 pts
53Pocahontas County4.3-0.2 pts
54Union County4.3+1.4 pts
55Buchanan County4+0.1 pts
56Monroe County3.9+1.6 pts
57Madison County3.9-0.2 pts
58Fayette County3.8+1 pts
59Cerro Gordo County3.7+0.1 pts
60Palo Alto County3.7+0.2 pts
61Sac County3.6-1.5 pts
62Mahaska County3.5+1 pts
63Floyd County3.4-0.9 pts
64Marion County3.3+0.4 pts
65Clay County3.2+0.9 pts
66Des Moines County3.1-0.6 pts
67Ringgold County3-0.9 pts
68Keokuk County3+0.5 pts
69Warren County3-0.1 pts
69Worth County3+0.6 pts
71Butler County2.9-0 pts
71Clinton County2.9-0 pts
71Jackson County2.9+0.3 pts
74Jones County2.9+0.4 pts
75Calhoun County2.8+0.8 pts
76Shelby County2.7+0.7 pts
77Iowa County2.7+0.4 pts
77Lyon County2.7-0 pts
79Lee County2.6+0.9 pts
80Boone County2.6+0.5 pts
81Audubon County2.6+1.7 pts
82Adams County2.5+1 pts
82Page County2.5-0.1 pts
84Montgomery County2.5+0.6 pts
85Delaware County2.4-0.3 pts
86Bremer County2.4-0.2 pts
87Monona County2.3+0.3 pts
88Benton County2.3-0.5 pts
88Fremont County2.3+0.2 pts
90Grundy County2.2+0.5 pts
91Greene County2.2-0.8 pts
92Guthrie County2.20 pts
93Carroll County2+0.1 pts
94Mills County1.9+0.2 pts
95Adair County1.80 pts
96Cedar County1.7+0.1 pts
97Dickinson County1.7-0.9 pts
98Cass County1.4-0.1 pts
99Harrison County1.4+0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of all people aged 5 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Measures the language used at home, not English ability: most people in this group also speak English. Spanish speakers are shown separately in spanish_at_home_share.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/iowa-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/iowa-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/iowa-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_iowa_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/iowa-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in Iowa by population speaking a language other than English at home, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/iowa-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/language-other-than-english-at-home/iowa-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-c16001.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest population speaking a language other than English at home?

Buena Vista County, with 36.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest population speaking a language other than English at home?

Harrison County, with 1.4% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table C16001: people aged 5 and over who speak a language other than English at home, as a percentage of the population aged 5 and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Population speaking a language other than English at home: other rankings

Counties in Iowa: more rankings