City · Iowa
Stuart, Iowa
Stuart, city, mostly in Guthrie County (59.4% of its 2020 residents), with a part in Adair County, Iowa. Stuart had 1,882 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 5.4% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 1,782 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 1,655 (±215). GEOID 1975990.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
1,882
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 1,782 · ACS 2020-2024: 1,655 ±215
Median household income
$65,000
±$11,355 (90% margin)
Iowa: $75,059
Median home value
$159,500
±$14,095 (90% margin)
Iowa: $208,000
Median gross rent
$717
±$334 (90% margin)
Iowa: $972
Where is Stuart and what county is it in?
Stuart is a city mostly in Guthrie County (59.4% of its 2020 residents), with a part in Adair County, Iowa. It covers 2.8 square miles of land, 633 residents per square mile in 2020.
Stuart is in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan statistical area, which takes in 6 counties (Census Bureau delineation, July 2023).
| County | 2020 residents | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Guthrie County | 1,059 | 59.4% |
| Adair County | 723 | 40.6% |
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Stuart, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 1,882 people lived in Stuart on July 1, 2025, up 5.4% since 2020, faster than Iowa (+1.5%). The 2020 Census counted 1,782 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 1,655 (±215).
| Measure | Stuart | Guthrie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 1,655 ±215 | 10,688 | no clear change |
| Households | 726 ±114 | 4,600 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.17 ±0.23 | 2.29 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 779 ±118 | 5,808 | no clear change |
Stuart's population since 2000
From 1,712 in 2000 to 1,882 in 2025: up 9.9%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Stuart 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 Stuart?
The median resident of Stuart is 37.9 years old; 21.3% are under 18 and 24.4% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 82.7%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 8.2%.
| Measure | Stuart | Guthrie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.9 ±9.8 | 46.7 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 21.3% ±4.7 pts | 21.2% | – |
| 65 years and over | 24.4% ±4.8 pts | 24.2% | – |
| Male | 52.1% ±3.5 pts | 50.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 8.2% ±3.4 pts | 3.1% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 82.7% ±5.2 pts | 92.4% | −13.3 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 3.7% ±3.0 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.3% ±0.4 pts | 0.5% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.1% ±0.2 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.5 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 5.0% ±2.6 pts | 2.5% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0% ±1.5 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 4.8% ±3.3 pts | 1.9% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 2.3% ±1.5 pts | 2.2% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 9.3% ±3.3 pts | 7.1% | – |
| With a disability | 15.6% ±4.3 pts | 12.4% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 1.1% ±0.9 pts | 3.1% | – |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 92.9% ±2.8 pts | 95.9% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 17.0% ±4.2 pts | 25.0% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 5.0% ±2.9 pts | 8.0% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 88.7% ±4.4 pts | 92.5% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.8% ±1.1 pts | 1.2% | – |
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 Stuart earn?
Half of Stuart's 726 households earn less than $65,000 a year (±$11,355), against $77,711 in Guthrie County and $75,059 in Iowa. In 2015-2019 it was $61,049 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 14.0% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Stuart | Guthrie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $65,000 ±$11,355 | $77,711 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $76,391 ±$8,944 | $100,744 | – |
| Per capita income | $33,223 ±$4,184 | $43,480 | no clear change |
| People below the poverty line | 14.0% ±4.2 pts | 9.9% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 20.4% ±11.2 pts | 14.4% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 12.8% ±6.0 pts | 7.9% | – |
| Households with a computer | 89.9% ±6.5 pts | 94.7% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 84.0% ±7.0 pts | 89.3% | – |
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 Stuart?
Owners occupy 70.7% of Stuart's occupied homes and renters 29.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $159,500 by its owner (±$14,095). The median renter pays $717 a month including utilities, and 25.7% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.
| Measure | Stuart | Guthrie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $159,500 ±$14,095 | $180,100 | +$41,353 |
| Median gross rent | $717 ±$334 | $845 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 25.7% ±12.3 pts | 34.0% | no clear change |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,346 ±$123 | $1,459 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 70.7% ±5.8 pts | 84.0% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 29.3% ±5.8 pts | 16.0% | – |
| Housing units | 779 ±118 | 5,808 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 2.7% ±3.9 pts | 0.6% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% ±11.1 pts | 7.4% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 73.6% ±6.1 pts | 91.6% | – |
| Mobile homes | 2.6% ±2.5 pts | 1.6% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.0% ±1.2 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 10.4% ±3.9 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 36.7% ±7.3 pts | 36.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 9.0% ±3.6 pts | 4.0% | – |
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 Stuart building?
Builders took permits for 10 new housing units in Stuart in 2025 (10 in single-family houses), 5.3 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 Stuart work and get to work?
70.7% of Stuart's workers drive alone and 12.0% work from home. The average trip to work takes 22.8 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.7%.
| Measure | Stuart | Guthrie County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 62.6% ±4.8 pts | 62.9% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% ±2.7 pts | 3.2% | no clear change |
| Drove alone to work | 70.7% ±7.8 pts | 76.4% | – |
| Carpooled | 7.4% ±3.2 pts | 7.8% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0% ±3.1 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Walked | 3.8% ±3.9 pts | 2.7% | – |
| Worked from home | 12.0% ±4.9 pts | 11.8% | +8.4 pts |
| Mean travel time to work | 22.8 min ±2.7 | 27.1 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 Stuart?
No census tract lies mostly in Stuart; 2 tracts reach into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9503Guthrie County | 4,525 | $80,257 |
| Tract 9601Adair County | 2,790 | $68,571 |
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 Stuart) · Census block assignment files
How does Stuart compare with other places in Iowa?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Stuart is the 7,900th-most populous of the 19,476 U.S. incorporated places that have one and the 176th-most populous of 939 in Iowa.
Stuart ranks 176th of 279 places in Iowa with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 176th | 939 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 40th | 275 |
| Residents per square mile | 243rd | 279 |
| Median household income | 176th | 279 |
| Per capita income | 213th | 279 |
| Median home value | 160th | 279 |
| Median gross rent | 222nd | 266 |
| Poverty rate | 64th | 232 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 241st | 279 |
| Median age | 182nd | 279 |
| Owner-occupied share | 176th | 279 |
| Work from home | 59th | 221 |
| Travel time to work | 81st | 279 |
Stuart's figures with every place in Iowa (CSV)
Every place in Iowa, sortable · Compare Stuart 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 Stuart?
14 of the 57 figures for Stuart 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 Stuart 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 Stuart.