Wayne County Demographics

A map of Wayne County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	6,122	6,228	93.7%	95.9%
Multiracial	315	145	4.8%	2.2%
Hispanic	77	61	1.2%	0.9%
Black	12	10	0.2%	0.2%
Asian	6	24	0.1%	0.4%
Native American/Other	0	29	0.0%	0.4%

Wayne County, Iowa has an estimated population of 6,532, a less than 1% change from the 6,497 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 93.7% White, 4.8% Multiracial, 1.2% Hispanic, 0.2% Black, 0.1% Asian, and 0.0% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wayne County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wayne has become 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 Wayne County, that probability was 8.1% in 2020 and 11.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wayne County is ranked the 93rd most populous county in Iowa, out of 99 counties. Wayne County was ranked the 94th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wayne County's White Population

6,122 residents of Wayne County, or 93.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wayne County is considerably higher than in Iowa overall, where 82.3% of the population is White. Wayne County ranks 4th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.7%. White residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 95.9% to 93.7%.

Wayne County is more White than neighboring Mercer County (91.1% White), and Decatur County (90.2% White). Wayne County is less White than neighboring Lucas County (94% White), Putnam County (95.1% White), and Appanoose County (93.8% White).

Wayne County's Black Population

12 residents of Wayne County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 3.8% of the population is Black. Wayne County ranks 95th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Black population has grown by an estimated 20.0%. Black residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Wayne County is less Black than neighboring Lucas County (0.3% Black), Appanoose County (0.8% Black), and Decatur County (1.3% Black).

Wayne County's Asian Population

6 residents of Wayne County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Iowa overall, where 2.5% of the population is Asian. Wayne County ranks 60th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 75.0%. Asian residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Wayne County is more Asian than neighboring Putnam County (0% Asian). Wayne County is less Asian than neighboring Lucas County (0.8% Asian), Mercer County (0.9% Asian), Appanoose County (0.9% Asian), and Decatur County (0.7% Asian).

Wayne County's Hispanic Population

77 residents of Wayne County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wayne County is lower than in Iowa overall, where 7.3% of the population is Hispanic. Wayne County ranks 99th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 26.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.2%.

Wayne County is less Hispanic than neighboring Lucas County (2.9% Hispanic), Mercer County (4.8% Hispanic), Putnam County (3% Hispanic), Appanoose County (2% Hispanic), and Decatur County (3.5% Hispanic).

Wayne County's Native American/Other Population

0 residents of Wayne County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Wayne County ranks 53rd statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Wayne County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Mercer County (0.4% Native American/Other), Putnam County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Decatur County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Wayne County's Multiracial Population

315 residents of Wayne County, or 4.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Iowa overall, where 3.5% of the population is Multiracial. Wayne County ranks 69th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 99 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 117.2%. Multiracial residents' share of Wayne County's population has increased from 2.2% to 4.8%.

Wayne County is more Multiracial than neighboring Lucas County (2% Multiracial), Mercer County (2.6% Multiracial), Putnam County (1.3% Multiracial), Appanoose County (2.4% Multiracial), and Decatur County (3.4% 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.