Iowa State Profile

The maps on this page explore the American Community Survey 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability by county.

The ACS does not directly measure disability. Instead, it uses a set of disability indicator questions related to difficulty and functional impairment to identify individuals who may experience a disability. If a respondent can answer “yes” to any disability question they are classified as having a disability.

 

Disability Rates: Iowa

map of IA showing disability rate by county. Text description on page.

This map of Iowa shows general rates of disability across the state at the county level. Disability rates are broken into four categories, from 7.0 to 17.8%.

The five largest urban areas (Des Moines, Iowa Falls, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled to show if there are any differences between disability rates in urban vs rural areas. Disability rates tend to be higher in rural areas than urban ones. The lowest category of 7.0 to 11.3% is mainly found in the counties surrounding each of the five largest urban areas. The highest rates of 14.5 to 17.8% can be observed in the southern, central, and northern parts of the state.

In the upper corner is an inset map of the United States showing how overall general disability rates in Iowa compare to the rest of the country. Overall, general disability rates in Iowa are in the lowest category (out of four) compared to the rest of the U.S.

Map produced October 2019 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version. 
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

Map of IA showing rates of disability among females. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows disability rate among females by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 7.0 to 19.3%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Iowa Falls and Des Moines are in counties with the second-lowest rate of 11.0 to 12.8%. The other three cities are in counties with the lowest rate of 7.0 to 10.9%.

Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


Map of IA showing rates of disability among males. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows disability rate among males by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 6.8 to 18.8%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas. 

Iowa Falls and Waterloo are in counties with the second-lowest rate of 11.8 to 13.3%. The other three cities are in counties with the lowest rate of 6.8 to 11.7%.

Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates.

The ACS asks a set of disability indicator questions to determine disability. If a respondent can answer “yes” to any disability question they are classified as having a disability. The data below are for ages 18 and over.


Map of IA showing rates of veterans with disability. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of disability among veterans aged 18 and older by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 18.5 to 48.6%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Iowa Falls and Waterloo are in counties with the second-lowest rate of 25.8 to 30.0%. The other three cities are in counties with the lowest rate of 18.5 to 25.7%.

Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

Map of IA showing rates of people with disabilities in poverty. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows poverty rates among people with disabilities of all ages by county. Poverty rates are broken into four levels from 18.5% to 48.6%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Iowa Falls and Waterloo are in counties with the second-lowest rate of 25.8 to 30.0%. The other three cities are in counties with the lowest rate of 18.5 to 25.7%.

Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

Employment: Iowa

This map explores American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table C18120) employment estimates by disability type. 

The ACS asks a set of disability indicator questions to determine disability. If a respondent can answer “yes” to any disability question they are classified as having a disability. The data below are for ages 18-64.


Map of IA showing rates of people with disability employed. Text description on page.

This map of Iowa shows employment rates among people with disabilities. The data includes people ages 18 to 64. Rates are broken into four categories ranging from 27.6% to 67.1%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Davenport is in a county with the lowest rate of 27.6 to 39.5%. Iowa Falls and Waterloo are in counties with the second-lowest rate of 39.6 to 45.4%. Des Moines and Cedar Rapids are in counties with the second-highest rate of 45.5 to 51.5%.

 Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

This map explores American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table C18120) employment estimates by disability type. 

The ACS asks a set of disability indicator questions to determine disability. If a respondent can answer “yes” to any disability question they are classified as having a disability. The data below are for ages 18-64.


Map of IA showing rates of unemployment for people with disabilities. Text description on page.

This map of Iowa shows unemployment rates among people with disabilities. The data includes people ages 18 to 64. Rates are broken into four categories from 0.6% to 14.2%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Iowa Falls and Waterloo are in counties with the highest rate of 6.1 to 14.2%. The other three cities are in counties with the second-highest rate of 3.9 to 6.0%.

 Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

 This map explores American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table C18120) employment estimates by disability type. 

The ACS asks a set of disability indicator questions to determine disability. If a respondent can answer “yes” to any disability question they are classified as having a disability. The data below are for ages 18-64.


Map of IA showing rates of people with disability out of labor force. Text description on page.

This map of Iowa shows out of labor force rates among people with disabilities. The data includes people ages 18 to 64. Rates are broken into four categories from 31.4 to 67.4%.  

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Des Moines is in a county with the second-lowest rate of 43.7 to 49.5%. Iowa Falls, Waterloo, and Cedar Rapids are in counties with the second-highest rate of 49.6 to 55.0%. Davenport is in a county with the highest rate of 55.1 to 67.4%.

Map produced July 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

Disability Rates by Functional Limitation: Iowa

 This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates by county.

For vision difficulty the ACS asks if a respondent is blind or has serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses. If they answer “yes” they are classified as having a vision difficulty. This data is for all ages.


Map of IA showing rates of vision difficulty by county. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of people with vision difficulty for ages 5 and older by county. Rates are broken into four categories from .9 to 1.5%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

All five cities are in counties with the second lowest rate of 1.6 to 1.9%.

Map produced April 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version. 
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates by county.

For hearing difficulty the ACS asks if a respondent is deaf or has serious difficulty hearing. If they answer “yes” they are classified as having a hearing difficulty. This data is for all ages.


Map of IA showing rates of hearing impairment by county. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of people with hearing difficulty for ages 5 and older by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 2.2 to 6.9%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Iowa Falls is in a county with the second lowest rate of 3.9 to 4.4%, while the other cities are in counties with the lowest rate of 2.2 to 3.8%.

Map produced April 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates by county.

For cognitive difficulty the ACS asks because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, does the respondent have difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions. If they answer “yes” they are classified as having a cognitive difficulty. This data is for ages 5 and up.


Map of IA showing rates of cognitive difficulty. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of people with cognitive difficulty by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 2.5 to 7.7%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas.

Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Des Moines are in counties with the second lowest rate of 4.0 to 4.5%, while Iowa Falls and Waterloo are in counties with the second highest rate of 4.6 to 5.4%.

Map produced April 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates by county.

For ambulatory (i.e. mobility) difficulty the ACS asks if a respondent has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. If they answer “yes” they are classified as having a mobility difficulty. This data is for ages 5 and up.


 Map of IA showing rates of mobility difficulty. Text description on page.This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of people with mobility difficulty for all ages by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 2.7 to 10.5%.

Overall, there are higher rates of mobility difficulty in rural counties than in urban ones.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates of people with mobility difficulty in urban compared to rural areas. All five cities are in counties with the lowest rate of 2.7 to 5.7%.

Map produced April 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates by county.

For self-care difficulty the ACS asks if a respondent has difficulty bathing or dressing. If they answer “yes” they are classified as having a self-care difficulty. This data is for ages 5 and up.


Map of IA showing rates of self-care difficulty. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of people with self-care difficulty by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 1.0 to 4.0%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates in urban compared to rural areas. Cedar Rapids is in a county with the lowest rate, 1.0 to 1.9%, while the other four cities are in counties with the second lowest rate of 2.0 to 2.3%.

Map produced April 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.

This map explores the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year data (Table S1810) on disability estimates by county.

For independent living difficulty the ACS asks because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, does the respondent have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping. If they answer “yes” they are classified as having an independent living difficulty. This data is for ages 18 and up.


Map of IA showing rates of IL difficulty. Text description on page.

This map of the state of Iowa shows rates of independent living (IL) difficulty for people 18 years of age and older by county. Rates are broken into four categories from 2.5 to 7.7%.

The five largest urban areas (Iowa Falls, Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport) are labeled on the map to show if there are any differences between rates of people with independent living difficulty in urban compared to rural areas.

Cedar Rapids is in a county with the lowest rates of 2.5 to 4.1%, while the other four cities are in counties with the second lowest rate of 4.2 to 4.9%.

Map produced April 2020 based on 2013-2017 American Community Survey data.

 

 


  • Click on the map for a larger, downloadable version.
  • To browse or download the data used to make this map, use our Disability Data Lookup Tool.