Pottawattamie County Demographics

A map of Pottawattamie County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	78,988	79,181	84.5%	84.5%
Hispanic	8,536	7,660	9.1%	8.2%
Multiracial	2,764	3,472	3.0%	3.7%
Black	1,717	1,836	1.8%	2.0%
Asian	800	773	0.9%	0.8%
Native American/Other	619	745	0.7%	0.8%

Pottawattamie County, Iowa has an estimated population of 93,424, a less than 1% change from the 93,667 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 84.5% White, 9.1% Hispanic, 3.0% Multiracial, 1.8% Black, 0.9% Asian, and 0.7% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Pottawattamie County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Pottawattamie is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is 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 Pottawattamie County, that probability was 27.7% in 2020 and 27.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Pottawattamie County is ranked the 10th most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Pottawattamie County was ranked the 10th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Pottawattamie County's White Population

78,988 residents of Pottawattamie County, or 84.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Pottawattamie County is slightly higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Pottawattamie County ranks 78th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pottawattamie County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Pottawattamie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 84.5%.

Pottawattamie County is less White than neighboring Mills County (92.7% White), Shelby County (91.3% White), Harrison County (94.4% White), Montgomery County (92% White), and Fremont County (91.4% White).

Pottawattamie County's Black Population

1,717 residents of Pottawattamie County, or 1.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Pottawattamie County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Pottawattamie County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pottawattamie County's Black population has declined by an estimated 6.5%. Black residents' share of Pottawattamie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.8%.

Pottawattamie County is more Black than neighboring Mills County (0.4% Black), Shelby County (0.3% Black), Harrison County (0.1% Black), and Fremont County (0.4% Black).

Pottawattamie County's Asian Population

800 residents of Pottawattamie County, or 0.9% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Pottawattamie County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Pottawattamie County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pottawattamie County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 3.5%. Asian residents' share of Pottawattamie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.9%.

Pottawattamie County is more Asian than neighboring Mills County (0.5% Asian), Shelby County (0.5% Asian), Harrison County (0.3% Asian), and Fremont County (0.2% Asian). Pottawattamie County is less Asian than neighboring Montgomery County (1.1% Asian).

Pottawattamie County's Hispanic Population

8,536 residents of Pottawattamie County, or 9.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Pottawattamie County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Pottawattamie County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pottawattamie County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 11.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Pottawattamie County's population has increased from 8.2% to 9.1%.

Pottawattamie County is more Hispanic than neighboring Mills County (3.9% Hispanic), Shelby County (4.4% Hispanic), Harrison County (2.2% Hispanic), Montgomery County (0.8% Hispanic), and Fremont County (3.4% Hispanic).

Pottawattamie County's Native American/Other Population

619 residents of Pottawattamie County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Pottawattamie County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Pottawattamie County ranks 17th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pottawattamie County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 16.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Pottawattamie County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Pottawattamie County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Mills County (0.2% Native American/Other), Shelby County (0.5% Native American/Other), Harrison County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Fremont County (0.1% Native American/Other). Pottawattamie County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Montgomery County (1.1% Native American/Other).

Pottawattamie County's Multiracial Population

2,764 residents of Pottawattamie County, or 3.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Pottawattamie County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Pottawattamie County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pottawattamie County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 20.4%. Multiracial residents' share of Pottawattamie County's population has decreased from 3.7% to 3.0%.

Pottawattamie County is more Multiracial than neighboring Mills County (2.3% Multiracial), and Harrison County (2.7% Multiracial). Pottawattamie County is less Multiracial than neighboring Montgomery County (3.2% Multiracial), and Fremont County (4.6% 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.