Most Native American places in Iowa research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the Iowa cities with the highest percentage of Native American residents for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 vintage, which breaks down race by origin.
The city with the highest percentage of Native Americans is Sioux City. 1.53% of people in Sioux City are Native Americans.
The city with the lowest percentage of Native Americans is Winterset. 0.00% of people in Winterset are Native American.
The city with the most Native Americans is Sioux City. 1,314 people in Sioux City are Native American.
The city with the fewest Native Americans is Winterset. 0 people in Winterset are Native American.
The United States has 1,698,432 Native Americans and is 0.51% Native American.
Which city in Iowa had the largest Native American population? The place with the largest Native American population in Iowa for 2026 is Sioux City. 1.53% of Sioux City identify as Native American.
1.5% Native American · 1,314 Native American residents
Sioux City is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, which makes it the fourth largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, of which it is the county seat, though a small portion is in Plymouth County. Sioux City is located at the navigational head of the Missouri River. Often the city and surrounding area is referred to as Siouxland, especially by the local media and residents. The city is home to several cultural points of interest including the Sioux City Public Museum, Sioux City Art Center and Sergeant Floyd Monument, which is a National Historical Landmark. The city is also home to Chris Larsen Park, commonly referred to as -the Riverfront,- includes the Anderson Dance Pavilion, Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum and Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Sioux City is the primary city of the five-county Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area, with a population of 168,825 in 2010 and a slight increase to an estimated 168,921 in 2012. The Sioux City-Vermillion, IA-NE-SD Combined Statistical Area had a population of 182,675 as of 2010 and has grown to an estimated population of 183,052 as of 2012.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.8% Native American · 43 Native American residents
Located in
Page County, Iowa
Clarinda is a city in and the county seat of Page County, Iowa, United States. It is located in Nodaway Township. The population was 5,572 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 5,690 population in the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.7% Native American · 40 Native American residents
Located in
Fayette County, Iowa
Oelwein is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,415 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 4.1% from the 2000 census. The largest community in Fayette County, it is located at the junction of State Highways 3 and 150.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.4% Native American · 30 Native American residents
Located in
Winneshiek County, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,127 at the 2010 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S. Route 52, and is the largest community in Winneshiek County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.4% Native American · 88 Native American residents
Located in
Des Moines County, Iowa
Burlington is a city and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa, and Middletown, Iowa, and Gulfport, Illinois. Burlington is the home of Snake Alley, once labelled the crookedest alley in the world.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.3% Native American · 30 Native American residents
Located in
Henry County, Iowa
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.3% Native American · 18 Native American residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.3% Native American · 87 Native American residents
Located in
Marshall County, Iowa
Marshalltown is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,552 in the 2010 census, compared to 26,009 in 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.3% Native American · 21 Native American residents
Located in
Cass County, Iowa
Atlantic is a city in, and the county seat of, Cass County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 7,112 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 7,257 population in the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
0.3% Native American · 66 Native American residents
Located in
Johnson County, Iowa
Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,907 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
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Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Iowa’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Iowa’s Native American population is concentrated
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Iowa With The Largest Native American Population For 2026
We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across Iowa.
We used Saturday Night Science to analyze the Census’s most recently available data, the 2020-2024 American Community Survey data.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone
- Black or African American alone
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone
- Asian alone
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone
- Some other race alone
- Two or more races
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native alone.
We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 76 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are American Indian and Alaska Native. The percentages ranked from 1.53 to 0.00.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the American Indian and Alaska Native population, with a higher score being more American Indian and Alaska Native than a lower score. Sioux City took the distinction of being the most American Indian and Alaska Native, while Winterset was the least Native American city.
We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Iowa with the largest Native American population.
The full plate
Most Native American Places In Iowa
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Native American Population | % Native American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux City | 86,101 | 1,314 | 1.5% |
| 2 | Clarinda | 5,353 | 43 | 0.8% |
| 3 | Oelwein | 5,834 | 40 | 0.7% |
| 4 | Decorah | 7,535 | 30 | 0.4% |
| 5 | Burlington | 23,728 | 88 | 0.4% |
| 6 | Mount Pleasant | 8,951 | 30 | 0.3% |
| 7 | Sheldon | 5,474 | 18 | 0.3% |
| 8 | Marshalltown | 27,626 | 87 | 0.3% |
| 9 | Atlantic | 6,763 | 21 | 0.3% |
| 10 | Coralville | 23,234 | 66 | 0.3% |
| 11 | Council Bluffs | 62,586 | 171 | 0.3% |
| 12 | Mason City | 27,050 | 71 | 0.3% |
| 13 | Orange City | 6,426 | 15 | 0.2% |
| 14 | Spencer | 11,400 | 20 | 0.2% |
| 15 | Nevada | 6,983 | 12 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Muscatine | 23,489 | 40 | 0.2% |
| 17 | Clinton | 24,322 | 38 | 0.2% |
| 18 | Davenport | 100,913 | 147 | 0.1% |
| 19 | Anamosa | 5,629 | 8 | 0.1% |
| 20 | Storm Lake | 11,428 | 15 | 0.1% |
| 21 | Waterloo | 67,008 | 80 | 0.1% |
| 22 | Norwalk | 14,183 | 15 | 0.1% |
| 23 | Fort Dodge | 24,827 | 26 | 0.1% |
| 24 | Des Moines | 212,421 | 195 | 0.1% |
| 25 | Ames | 67,669 | 62 | 0.1% |
| 26 | Clive | 19,012 | 17 | 0.1% |
| 27 | Altoona | 21,495 | 18 | 0.1% |
| 28 | Cedar Rapids | 137,264 | 109 | 0.1% |
| 29 | Fairfield | 9,456 | 7 | 0.1% |
| 30 | Johnston | 24,384 | 18 | 0.1% |
| 31 | Red Oak | 5,510 | 4 | 0.1% |
| 32 | Newton | 15,700 | 11 | 0.1% |
| 33 | Bettendorf | 39,647 | 23 | 0.1% |
| 34 | Centerville | 5,372 | 3 | 0.1% |
| 35 | Indianola | 16,044 | 8 | 0.0% |
| 36 | Le Mars | 10,640 | 5 | 0.0% |
| 37 | Dubuque | 59,174 | 26 | 0.0% |
| 38 | Keokuk | 9,662 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 39 | Marion | 41,896 | 17 | 0.0% |
| 40 | Fort Madison | 10,133 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Pella | 10,720 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 42 | Oskaloosa | 11,504 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 43 | North Liberty | 21,125 | 6 | 0.0% |
| 44 | Ottumwa | 25,430 | 7 | 0.0% |
| 45 | Knoxville | 7,473 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 46 | Carroll | 10,208 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 47 | Pleasant Hill | 11,136 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 48 | Maquoketa | 6,075 | 1 | 0.0% |
| 49 | Urbandale | 46,595 | 7 | 0.0% |
| 50 | West Des Moines | 71,083 | 10 | 0.0% |
| 51 | Grimes | 16,366 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 52 | Cedar Falls | 40,888 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 53 | Ankeny | 72,615 | 5 | 0.0% |
| 54 | Iowa City | 75,752 | 5 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Charles City | 7,232 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Cherokee | 5,154 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Clear Lake | 7,607 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Creston | 7,435 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Denison | 8,260 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Eldridge | 6,818 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Estherville | 5,839 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Glenwood | 5,144 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Grinnell | 9,505 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Hiawatha | 7,206 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Waukee | 29,236 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Iowa Falls | 5,038 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Manchester | 5,191 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Algona | 5,377 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Waverly | 10,494 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Perry | 7,985 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Washington | 7,290 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Boone | 12,424 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Webster City | 7,769 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Sioux Center | 8,454 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Independence | 6,164 | 0 | 0.0% |
| 65 | Winterset | 5,416 | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, table B03002. 76 Iowa cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Native American Populations Across Iowa
If you’re looking for a breakdown of Native American populations across Iowa according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
The most Native American cities in Iowa are Sioux City, Clarinda, Oelwein, Decorah, Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Sheldon, Marshalltown, Atlantic, and Coralville. Not sold on Iowa? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Native American Population In Iowa FAQs
What city in Iowa has the highest share of Native American residents?
Sioux City has the highest share of Native American residents in Iowa for 2026, at 1.53% of the population. Clarinda and Oelwein are next.
What city in Iowa has the most Native American residents overall?
Sioux City has the most Native American residents in Iowa, with 1,314 people. That is the raw count; Sioux City leads on share of population.
What are the top Native American communities in Iowa?
The Iowa places with the highest Native American population shares are Sioux City, Clarinda, Oelwein, Decorah, Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Sheldon, Marshalltown, Atlantic, and Coralville. We ranked all 76 places with more than 5,000 residents.
How many Native Americans live in the United States?
The United States has 1,698,432 residents identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native, which is 0.51% of the country. The share in Sioux City runs far above that national mark.
Where does this data come from?
Every number comes from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020-2024), table B03002, based on residents identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native. We rank each Iowa place with more than 5,000 residents.
