Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Mahaska County, IA: population growth, jobs and income

Mahaska County lost 32 residents between 2024 and 2025 (−0.1%).

Mahaska County had an estimated 21,880 residents in 2025, down 1.2% (271 fewer people) since 2020. That is slower than Iowa as a whole (+1.5%), and the 56th fastest growth of 99 counties in Iowa.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Mahaska County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Mahaska County, ranked against Iowa and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$793/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes10.1%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months592025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Iowa? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration was negative in 2025: 29 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in.

Private employers had 7,582 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +17.8% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 2.8% in 2025, 0.3 points higher than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 66 new homes in 2025, or 3.0 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $70,940 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +25.7% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 2,251st.

Part of the Oskaloosa, IA micro area.

Get Mahaska County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Mahaska County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Mahaska County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Mahaska County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
202521,880−32
202421,912−35
202321,947+7
202221,940−32
202121,972−179
202022,151–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Mahaska County

Mahaska County lost 271 people since 2020; the biggest drag was domestic migration (−222).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−24−162
International migrationfrom and to other countries+23+128
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties−29−222
Census adjustmentbalancing residual−2−15
Total change−32−271

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn IowaAmong U.S. counties
Population growth56th of 992,251st of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents52nd of 992,125th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth5th of 99273rd of 3,092
Median household income52nd of 991,120th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate17th of 99239th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents26th of 991,116th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Mahaska County, IA as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the Jasper County and Wapello County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Mahaska County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Mahaska County's population change (−1.2%) was ahead of 3 of its 6 neighbouring counties and behind 3.

3 of its 6 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Mahaska County's $70,940 (2020–24).

Mahaska County, IA and its 6 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Mahaska County, IA This county21,880−1.2%−1.33.0$70,940
Poweshiek County, IA18,368−1.4%−2.02.4$67,391
Wapello County, IA35,210−0.4%−10.81.2$64,766
Monroe County, IA7,406−2.6%8.41.6$70,996
Marion County, IA34,192+2.3%7.99.9$78,680
Keokuk County, IA9,797−2.0%3.20.1$62,329
Jasper County, IA38,153+0.9%−2.52.1$71,311

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 99 Iowa counties · Every state

Questions

Is Mahaska County growing?

No. Its population fell 1.2% between 2020 and 2025, about 271 fewer people (Census Bureau population estimates). Iowa as a whole changed +1.5% over the same years. That ranks 56th of 99 counties in Iowa for population growth.

How many people moved to Mahaska County?

On net, none in 2025: about 29 more people moved out to other U.S. counties than moved in (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Mahaska County?

It averaged 2.8% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Mahaska County?

About 21,880 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Mahaska County?

Private employers there had 7,582 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +17.8% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Iowa

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Iowa county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

See the Carolinas map

Mahaska County data alerts

Email me when Mahaska County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Mahaska County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.