Whitest cities in Iowa research summary. We analyzed Iowa’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in Iowa based on the percentage of White residents.
94.8% White · #1 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,777 at the 2010 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on Interstate 35 with many restaurants, hotels and truck stops.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
94.2% White · #2 whitest in Iowa
Winterset is a city in Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,190 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Madison County. Winterset is part of the Des Moines West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winterset is the birthplace of actor John Wayne.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
94.0% White · #3 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Buchanan County, Iowa
Independence is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,966 in the 2010 census, a decline from 6,014 in the 2000 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.7% White · #4 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Marion County, Iowa
Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,352 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, it is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central College, as well as several manufacturing companies, including Pella Corporation and Vermeer Manufacturing Company.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
93.4% White · #5 whitest in Iowa
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
93.0% White · #6 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Marion County, Iowa
Knoxville is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,313 at the 2010 census, a decrease from 7,731 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County. Knoxville is home of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, located next to the famous Knoxville Raceway dirt track.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
92.6% White · #7 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Warren County, Iowa
Norwalk is a city in Warren County, with some small portions extending into Polk County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 8,945 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located just south of the Des Moines International Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
92.2% White · #8 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Union County, Iowa
Creston is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,834 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
91.8% White · #9 whitest in Iowa
Located in
Warren County, Iowa
Indianola is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States, 18 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. The population was 14,782 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
91.6% White · #10 whitest in Iowa
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
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Iowa’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Iowa’s White population is concentrated
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in Iowa for 2026
To rank the whitest places in Iowa, we used Saturday Night Science to look at Census demographic data.
We had to look at the number of white people living in each city in Iowa on a per capita basis. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in Iowa.
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 who identified as White 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 White. The percentages ranked from 94.8% to 33.1%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the White population, with a higher percentage being more White. Clear Lake took the distinction of being the most White, while Storm Lake was the least White city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report represents our eleventh time ranking the whitest cities in Iowa.
The full plate
Cities In Iowa By White Population
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | White Population | % White |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clear Lake | 7,607 | 7,211 | 94.8% |
| 2 | Winterset | 5,416 | 5,104 | 94.2% |
| 3 | Independence | 6,164 | 5,794 | 94.0% |
| 4 | Pella | 10,720 | 10,040 | 93.7% |
| 5 | Atlantic | 6,763 | 6,315 | 93.4% |
| 6 | Knoxville | 7,473 | 6,953 | 93.0% |
| 7 | Norwalk | 14,183 | 13,135 | 92.6% |
| 8 | Creston | 7,435 | 6,854 | 92.2% |
| 9 | Indianola | 16,044 | 14,723 | 91.8% |
| 10 | Oelwein | 5,834 | 5,344 | 91.6% |
| 11 | Boone | 12,424 | 11,361 | 91.4% |
| 12 | Manchester | 5,191 | 4,736 | 91.2% |
| 13 | Glenwood | 5,144 | 4,659 | 90.6% |
| 14 | Cedar Falls | 40,888 | 37,031 | 90.6% |
| 15 | Spencer | 11,400 | 10,305 | 90.4% |
| 16 | Decorah | 7,535 | 6,769 | 89.8% |
| 17 | Carroll | 10,208 | 9,167 | 89.8% |
| 18 | Centerville | 5,372 | 4,809 | 89.5% |
| 19 | Maquoketa | 6,075 | 5,437 | 89.5% |
| 20 | Oskaloosa | 11,504 | 10,292 | 89.5% |
| 21 | Waverly | 10,494 | 9,367 | 89.3% |
| 22 | Eldridge | 6,818 | 6,071 | 89.0% |
| 23 | Red Oak | 5,510 | 4,888 | 88.7% |
| 24 | Iowa Falls | 5,038 | 4,444 | 88.2% |
| 25 | Anamosa | 5,629 | 4,961 | 88.1% |
| 26 | Fort Madison | 10,133 | 8,905 | 87.9% |
| 27 | Marion | 41,896 | 36,526 | 87.2% |
| 28 | Keokuk | 9,662 | 8,328 | 86.2% |
| 29 | Grinnell | 9,505 | 8,186 | 86.1% |
| 30 | Algona | 5,377 | 4,629 | 86.1% |
| 31 | Newton | 15,700 | 13,514 | 86.1% |
| 32 | Ankeny | 72,615 | 62,213 | 85.7% |
| 33 | Charles City | 7,232 | 6,190 | 85.6% |
| 34 | Clinton | 24,322 | 20,815 | 85.6% |
| 35 | Orange City | 6,426 | 5,494 | 85.5% |
| 36 | Dubuque | 59,174 | 50,498 | 85.3% |
| 37 | Cherokee | 5,154 | 4,395 | 85.3% |
| 38 | Pleasant Hill | 11,136 | 9,496 | 85.3% |
| 39 | Washington | 7,290 | 6,196 | 85.0% |
| 40 | Mason City | 27,050 | 22,976 | 84.9% |
| 41 | Nevada | 6,983 | 5,892 | 84.4% |
| 42 | Clarinda | 5,353 | 4,502 | 84.1% |
| 43 | Sioux Center | 8,454 | 7,038 | 83.3% |
| 44 | Estherville | 5,839 | 4,786 | 82.0% |
| 45 | Altoona | 21,495 | 17,569 | 81.7% |
| 46 | Grimes | 16,366 | 13,353 | 81.6% |
| 47 | Le Mars | 10,640 | 8,654 | 81.3% |
| 48 | Council Bluffs | 62,586 | 50,840 | 81.2% |
| 49 | Burlington | 23,728 | 19,192 | 80.9% |
| 50 | Bettendorf | 39,647 | 31,890 | 80.4% |
| 51 | Fort Dodge | 24,827 | 19,759 | 79.6% |
| 52 | Urbandale | 46,595 | 36,994 | 79.4% |
| 53 | North Liberty | 21,125 | 16,739 | 79.2% |
| 54 | Mount Pleasant | 8,951 | 7,060 | 78.9% |
| 55 | Clive | 19,012 | 14,859 | 78.2% |
| 56 | Cedar Rapids | 137,264 | 106,383 | 77.5% |
| 57 | West Des Moines | 71,083 | 54,992 | 77.4% |
| 58 | Ames | 67,669 | 51,976 | 76.8% |
| 59 | Webster City | 7,769 | 5,942 | 76.5% |
| 60 | Waukee | 29,236 | 22,337 | 76.4% |
| 61 | Sheldon | 5,474 | 4,161 | 76.0% |
| 62 | Fairfield | 9,456 | 7,183 | 76.0% |
| 63 | Johnston | 24,384 | 18,505 | 75.9% |
| 64 | Hiawatha | 7,206 | 5,131 | 71.2% |
| 65 | Davenport | 100,913 | 71,824 | 71.2% |
| 66 | Muscatine | 23,489 | 16,559 | 70.5% |
| 67 | Iowa City | 75,752 | 53,334 | 70.4% |
| 68 | Ottumwa | 25,430 | 17,541 | 69.0% |
| 69 | Coralville | 23,234 | 15,498 | 66.7% |
| 70 | Waterloo | 67,008 | 43,880 | 65.5% |
| 71 | Sioux City | 86,101 | 53,181 | 61.8% |
| 72 | Perry | 7,985 | 4,920 | 61.6% |
| 73 | Des Moines | 212,421 | 129,545 | 61.0% |
| 74 | Marshalltown | 27,626 | 14,935 | 54.1% |
| 75 | Denison | 8,260 | 3,540 | 42.9% |
| 76 | Storm Lake | 11,428 | 3,779 | 33.1% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 76 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: White Populations Across Iowa
We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in Iowa. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in Iowa.
The most White cities in Iowa are Clear Lake, Winterset, Independence, Pella, Atlantic, Knoxville, Norwalk, Creston, Indianola, and Oelwein. Not sold on Iowa? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Whitest Cities In Iowa FAQs
What is the whitest city in Iowa?
Clear Lake is the whitest city in Iowa for 2026, with White residents making up 94.8% of the population. Winterset and Independence are next.
What are the 10 whitest cities in Iowa?
The ten whitest cities in Iowa are Clear Lake, Winterset, Independence, Pella, Atlantic, Knoxville, Norwalk, Creston, Indianola, and Oelwein. We ranked all 76 places with more than 5,000 residents by their White share of the population.
What percent of Clear Lake is White?
White residents make up 94.8% of Clear Lake, the highest share of the 76 Iowa places we measured. The numbers come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
What is the least White city in Iowa?
Storm Lake is the least White city in Iowa, at 33.1% White residents. It sits at the opposite end of the same ranking.
Where does this data come from?
Every share is calculated from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020-2024), based on residents identifying as White alone. We rank each Iowa place with more than 5,000 residents.
