Hardin County Demographics

A map of Hardin County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	14,984	15,292	90.1%	90.6%
Hispanic	911	818	5.5%	4.8%
Multiracial	354	479	2.1%	2.8%
Black	180	144	1.1%	0.9%
Asian	141	86	0.8%	0.5%
Native American/Other	69	59	0.4%	0.3%

Hardin County, Iowa has an estimated population of 16,639, a slight decrease from the 16,878 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.1% White, 5.5% Hispanic, 2.1% Multiracial, 1.1% Black, 0.8% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Hardin County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Hardin has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Iowa overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Hardin County, that probability was 17.6% in 2020 and 18.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Hardin County is ranked the 44th most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Hardin County was ranked the 43rd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Hardin County's White Population

14,984 residents of Hardin County, or 90.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Hardin County is higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Hardin County ranks 59th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hardin County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.0%. White residents' share of Hardin County's population has decreased from 90.6% to 90.1%.

Hardin County is more White than neighboring Franklin County (80.2% White), Story County (81% White), Marshall County (66% White), and Hamilton County (83.8% White). Hardin County is less White than neighboring Grundy County (94.9% White).

Hardin County's Black Population

180 residents of Hardin County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Hardin County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Hardin County ranks 44th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hardin County's Black population has grown by an estimated 25.0%. Black residents' share of Hardin County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Hardin County is more Black than neighboring Franklin County (0.7% Black), Grundy County (0.6% Black), and Hamilton County (1% Black). Hardin County is less Black than neighboring Story County (2.7% Black), and Marshall County (1.6% Black).

Hardin County's Asian Population

141 residents of Hardin County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Hardin County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Hardin County ranks 43rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hardin County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 64.0%. Asian residents' share of Hardin County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Hardin County is more Asian than neighboring Franklin County (0.4% Asian), and Grundy County (0.5% Asian). Hardin County is less Asian than neighboring Story County (6.6% Asian), Marshall County (4.1% Asian), and Hamilton County (2.3% Asian).

Hardin County's Hispanic Population

911 residents of Hardin County, or 5.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Hardin County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Hardin County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hardin County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 11.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Hardin County's population has increased from 4.8% to 5.5%.

Hardin County is more Hispanic than neighboring Story County (5.2% Hispanic), and Grundy County (1.8% Hispanic). Hardin County is less Hispanic than neighboring Franklin County (16.5% Hispanic), Marshall County (24.6% Hispanic), and Hamilton County (10.1% Hispanic).

Hardin County's Native American/Other Population

69 residents of Hardin County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Hardin County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Hardin County ranks 66th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hardin County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 16.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Hardin County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Hardin County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Franklin County (0.5% Native American/Other), Story County (0.5% Native American/Other), Marshall County (0.6% Native American/Other), Grundy County (1.2% Native American/Other), and Hamilton County (0.7% Native American/Other).

Hardin County's Multiracial Population

354 residents of Hardin County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Hardin County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Hardin County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hardin County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 26.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Hardin County's population has decreased from 2.8% to 2.1%.

Hardin County is more Multiracial than neighboring Franklin County (1.8% Multiracial), and Grundy County (1.1% Multiracial). Hardin County is less Multiracial than neighboring Story County (4% Multiracial), Marshall County (3.2% Multiracial), and Hamilton County (2.2% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.