County · Iowa

Webster County, Iowa

Webster County, Iowa. Webster County had 36,838 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.4% since 2020, while Iowa grew 1.5%. It holds 16 places (15 cities, villages and boroughs and 1 census-designated) and 13 census tracts. GEOID 19187.

Webster County is the county of the Fort Dodge, IA micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

36,838

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 36,999 · ACS 2020-2024: 36,886

Median household income

$68,975

±$4,434 (90% margin)
Iowa: $75,059

Median home value

$153,800

±$5,022 (90% margin)
Iowa: $208,000

Median gross rent

$785

±$36 (90% margin)
Iowa: $972

How many people live in Webster County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 36,999 residents in Webster County. The Census Bureau estimates 36,838 for July 1, 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, while Iowa grew 1.5%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 36,886 over 716 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +184 (37,181)
2021→2022 −488 (36,693)
2022→2023 −27 (36,666)
2023→2024 +133 (36,799)
2024→2025 +39 (36,838)

Webster County in Iowa. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Webster County	Iowa	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	36,886	3,210,507	+341
Households	15,375±369	1,315,707	no clear change
Average household size	2.21±0.05	2.36	no clear change
Housing units	17,082±72	1,437,699	no clear change

Webster County's population since 2000

From 40,235 in 2000 to 36,838 in 2025: down 8.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. 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.

2000 Census 40,235
2005 (estimate) 38,562
2010 Census 38,013
2015 (estimate) 37,089
2020 Census 36,999
2025 (estimate) 36,838

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); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Webster County?

Webster County holds 16 places: 15 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 1 census-designated place. The largest is Fort Dodge with 24,837 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Webster County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Fort Dodge	city	24,871	24,827±47	$60,649	$144,100	15.9%	100%
Gowrie	city	952	932±154	$80,417	$109,900	9.4%	100%
Dayton	city	772	689±200	$57,500	$114,800	9.8%	100%
CoalvilleGEOID 1914835	CDP	651	649±157	$78,000	$197,500	14.0%	100%
Badger	city	522	433±108	$72,750	$142,800	5.1%	100%
Otho	city	429	380±73	$43,482	$89,900	15.5%	100%
Lehigh	city	395	340±73	$54,500	$75,000	15.3%	100%
Duncombe	city	381	376±100	$52,500	$117,100	8.6%	100%
Callender	city	368	413±129	$75,000	$107,100	5.0%	100%
Harcourt	city	264	249±67	$72,708	$85,000	15.7%	100%
BarnumGEOID 1904645	city	175	250±149	$86,615	$135,600	5.2%	100%
MoorlandGEOID 1953895	city	168	166±71	$80,250	$105,900	11.4%	100%
Clare	city	136	128±38	$80,417	$72,500	1.6%	100%
VincentGEOID 1981075	city	130	161±56	$87,500	$102,100	5.6%	100%
Stratford	city	707	735±128	$47,875	$89,300	9.0%	3%
Farnhamville	city	383	386±109	$57,188	$72,300	16.2%	0%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Webster County?

The median resident of Webster County is 39.7 years old; 21.4% are under 18 and 19.9% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 83.9%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 6.6%. 3.0% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Webster County	Iowa	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	39.7±0.5	38.6	no clear change
Under 18 years	21.4%±0.1 pts	22.9%	–
65 years and over	19.9%±0.3 pts	18.1%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6.6%	7.3%	+1.6 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	83.9%±0.4 pts	82.3%	−3.3 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	3.3%±0.6 pts	3.8%	−1.4 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	1.2%±0.2 pts	2.5%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.2%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.2%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.7%±0.7 pts	3.5%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	3.0%±0.8 pts	5.9%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	4.9%±0.9 pts	9.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.9%±0.8 pts	6.5%	–
With a disability	14.0%±1.2 pts	12.6%	–
No health insurance coverage	6.3%±1.0 pts	5.0%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	93.0%±1.0 pts	93.3%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	22.0%±1.9 pts	31.4%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	5.8%±0.9 pts	10.5%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.4%±0.6 pts	2.2%	–

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 Webster County earn?

Half of Webster County's 15,375 households earn less than $68,975 a year (±$4,434), against $75,059 in Iowa. In 2015-2019 the median was $58,416 in 2024 dollars, so it rose by $10,559 after inflation. 12.9% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Webster County	Iowa	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$68,975±$4,434	$75,059	+$10,559
Mean household income	$83,997±$3,963	$98,187	–
Per capita income	$35,947±$1,642	$40,877	+$3,336
People below the poverty line	12.9%±1.8 pts	11.1%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	14.5%±3.8 pts	12.9%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	11.0%±1.6 pts	8.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	87.3%±1.8 pts	88.9%	–

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 Webster County?

Owners occupy 70.3% of Webster County's occupied homes and renters 29.7%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $153,800 by its owner (±$5,022). The median renter pays $785 a month including utilities, and 31.0% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Webster County	Iowa	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$153,800±$5,022	$208,000	+$31,838
Median gross rent	$785±$36	$972	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	31.0%±4.9 pts	35.2%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,276±$70	$1,533	–
Owner-occupied homes	70.3%±2.7 pts	71.7%	no clear change
Housing units	17,082±72	1,437,699	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.1%±0.8 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	4.8%±2.1 pts	5.7%	–
Single-family detached homes	75.5%±2.3 pts	72.2%	–
Mobile homes	2.4%±0.7 pts	3.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.7%±0.4 pts	1.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	32.9%±2.2 pts	23.5%	–

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 Webster County building?

Builders took permits for 23 new housing units across Webster County in 2025 (23 single-family), 0.6 per 1,000 residents.

2019 25 units
2020 154 units
2021 28 units
2022 141 units
2023 54 units
2024 28 units
2025 23 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Webster County get to work?

82.7% of Webster County's workers drive alone and 4.6% work from home. The average trip to work takes 20.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.8%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Webster County	Iowa	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	62.3%±1.5 pts	66.4%	–
Unemployment rate	4.8%±1.1 pts	3.6%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	82.7%±2.7 pts	76.0%	–
Carpooled	7.5%±1.5 pts	7.8%	–
Public transportation	0.3%±0.3 pts	0.7%	–
Walked	2.4%±1.0 pts	2.9%	–
Worked from home	4.6%±1.1 pts	11.3%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	20.2 min±1.6	19.8 min	+3.5 min

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 are Webster County's census tracts?

Webster County is divided into 13 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $30,860 (Tract 7) to $98,295 (Tract 102).

Census tracts of Webster County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 1.0119187000101	Fort Dodge (89%)	4,108	4,571±510	$86,069	$181,000	$1,298	7.8%
Tract 1.0219187000102	Fort Dodge (85%)	3,044	2,992±427	$45,996	$176,500	$775	14.2%
Tract 219187000200	Fort Dodge (86%)	3,617	3,747±422	$80,617	$170,100	$939	11.3%
Tract 319187000300	Fort Dodge (73%)	1,372	1,404±202	$55,368	$92,600	$967	16.7%
Tract 419187000400	Fort Dodge	2,237	2,414±352	$53,162	$147,200	$805	23.3%
Tract 519187000500	Fort Dodge (43%)	1,523	1,719±312	$70,662	$86,000	$1,050	11.8%
Tract 619187000600	Fort Dodge (99%)	4,342	3,962±539	$55,777	$84,200	$802	16.6%
Tract 719187000700	Fort Dodge	1,450	1,641±356	$30,860	$163,600	$520	36.2%
Tract 919187000900	Fort Dodge (54%)	5,293	4,653±380	$58,125	$118,300	$977	10.7%
Tract 10119187010100	Duncombe (11%)	2,353	2,256±178	$80,000	$169,400	$788	9.3%
Tract 10219187010200	Clare (5%)	1,721	1,600±204	$98,295	$248,200	$679	3.2%
Tract 10319187010300	Gowrie (10%)	3,081	3,257±251	$81,875	$159,200	$634	8.5%
Tract 10419187010400	Dayton (19%)	2,858	2,670±211	$71,563	$122,800	$580	8.1%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Webster County compare with Iowa's other counties?

Webster County's rank among Iowa's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	18th of 99
Growth 2020-2025	36th of 99
Residents per square mile	22nd of 99
Median household income	59th of 99
Median home value	61st of 99
Median gross rent	63rd of 99
Poverty rate	23rd of 99
Bachelor's degree or higher	54th of 99
Median age	74th of 99

Every county in Iowa

Source: PlainCities ranks 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 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 Webster County 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' school search.