City · Iowa
Rolfe, Iowa
Rolfe, city, in Pocahontas County, Iowa. Rolfe had 489 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 4.3% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 509 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 626 (±141). GEOID 1968520.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
489
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 509 · ACS 2020-2024: 626 ±141
Median household income
$51,250
±$12,653 (90% margin)
Iowa: $75,059
Median home value
$48,500
±$19,084 (90% margin)
Iowa: $208,000
Median gross rent
$583
±$497 (90% margin)
Iowa: $972
Where is Rolfe and what county is it in?
Rolfe is a city in Pocahontas County, Iowa. It covers 1.1 square miles of land, 483 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Rolfe, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 489 people lived in Rolfe on July 1, 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, while Iowa grew 1.5%. The 2020 Census counted 509 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 626 (±141).
| Measure | Rolfe | Pocahontas County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 626 ±141 | 7,046 | no clear change |
| Households | 234 ±56 | 3,000 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.59 ±0.34 | 2.31 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 320 ±63 | 3,651 | no clear change |
Rolfe's population since 2000
From 675 in 2000 to 489 in 2025: down 27.6%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Rolfe as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Rolfe?
The median resident of Rolfe is 38.6 years old; 26.0% are under 18 and 20.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 93.3%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 2.7%.
| Measure | Rolfe | Pocahontas County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.6 ±18.0 | 43.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 26.0% ±7.7 pts | 23.3% | – |
| 65 years and over | 20.8% ±8.5 pts | 23.9% | – |
| Male | 58.6% ±5.1 pts | 50.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% ±2.4 pts | 5.8% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 93.3% ±3.5 pts | 88.6% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.8% ±1.2 pts | 0.7% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.8% ±1.5 pts | 0.2% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 2.7% ±2.3 pts | 3.9% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±3.9 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 3.5% ±2.5 pts | 3.2% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 2.6% ±2.5 pts | 4.3% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 9.5% ±4.4 pts | 9.0% | – |
| With a disability | 30.5% ±9.5 pts | 16.7% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 12.4% ±6.3 pts | 7.6% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 81.8% ±6.7 pts | 90.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 8.7% ±5.2 pts | 18.7% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 1.0% ±1.0 pts | 4.2% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 64.8% ±17.7 pts | 86.7% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 26.9% ±19.6 pts | 4.0% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Rolfe earn?
Half of Rolfe's 234 households earn less than $51,250 a year (±$12,653), against $61,875 in Pocahontas County and $75,059 in Iowa. In 2015-2019 it was $51,774 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 13.5% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Rolfe | Pocahontas County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,250 ±$12,653 | $61,875 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $58,284 ±$9,222 | $77,538 | – |
| Per capita income | $21,412 ±$3,346 | $34,057 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 13.5% ±7.2 pts | 10.3% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 11.9% ±10.3 pts | 8.8% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 20.5% ±11.8 pts | 7.6% | – |
| Households with a computer | 89.3% ±8.0 pts | 92.9% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 84.6% ±9.2 pts | 85.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Rolfe?
Owners occupy 83.8% of Rolfe's occupied homes and renters 16.2%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $48,500 by its owner (±$19,084).
| Measure | Rolfe | Pocahontas County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $48,500 ±$19,084 | $98,100 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $583 ±$497 | $832 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 46.7% ±34.3 pts | 25.0% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,291 ±$196 | $1,151 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 83.8% ±8.6 pts | 77.3% | +15.4 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 16.2% ±8.6 pts | 22.7% | – |
| Housing units | 320 ±63 | 3,651 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 0.0% ±12.0 pts | 1.0% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±42.2 pts | 6.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 85.6% ±8.5 pts | 89.6% | – |
| Mobile homes | 2.8% ±4.5 pts | 1.3% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0% ±7.5 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 0.0% ±7.5 pts | 2.3% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 47.8% ±12.2 pts | 41.6% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 7.7% ±6.3 pts | 4.6% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Rolfe building?
Builders took permits for 0 new housing units in Rolfe in 2025 (0 in single-family houses), 0.0 per 1,000 residents against 4.2 across Iowa.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Rolfe work and get to work?
77.0% of Rolfe's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 20.2 minutes.
| Measure | Rolfe | Pocahontas County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 49.6% ±11.9 pts | 61.0% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 20.8% ±14.6 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 77.0% ±13.2 pts | 79.9% | – |
| Carpooled | 11.2% ±9.4 pts | 11.3% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±12.5 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Walked | 4.8% ±5.3 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Worked from home | 7.0% ±6.3 pts | 5.4% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 20.2 min ±4.2 | 20.7 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Rolfe?
No census tract lies mostly in Rolfe; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 7802Pocahontas County | 3,052 | $59,583 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Rolfe) · Census block assignment files
How does Rolfe compare with other places in Iowa?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Rolfe is the 13,280th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 444th-most populous of 939 in Iowa.
Rolfe is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 444th | 939 |
Rolfe's figures with every place in Iowa (CSV)
Every place in Iowa, sortable · Compare Rolfe with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Rolfe?
25 of the 57 figures for Rolfe on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Rolfe are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' public schools in Rolfe.