County population in 2016: 17,580 (28% urban, 72% rural); it was 18,103 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 3,030 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 2,450 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 5,443 Renter-occupied apartments: 1,467 (it was 1,575 in 2000)
% of renters here:
22%
State:
28%
Land area: 721 sq. mi.
Water area: 1.1 sq. mi.
Population density: 24 people per square mile (low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Tama County: 84.0 (less than average, U.S. average is 100)
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2016: $1,544 (1.4%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2016: $1,694 (1.5%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2016: 12.4%
Tama County:
12.4%
Iowa:
11.8%
(9.8% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 5.9% for Black residents, 27.8% for Hispanic or Latino residents, 19.9% for American Indian residents, 14.7% for other race residents, 23.0% for two or more races residents)
Median age of residents in 2016: 43.2 years old
(Males: 42.2 years old, Females: 43.7 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 46.9 years old, Black residents: 17.7 years old, American Indian residents: 29.7 years old, Asian residents: 35.6 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 19.5 years old, Other race residents: 20.6 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Tama County is $407 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $505 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $661 a month.
Notable locations in this county outside city limits:
Notable locations in Tama County: Camp Courageous of Iowa (A), Camp De Shaw (B), Bowens Prairie (C), Highland Grove (D), Wayside (E), Cascade Sewer Plant (F), Iowa State Penal Farm (G), Jungletown Public Access (H), Fawn Creek Country Club (I), Olin Recreation Area Access (J), Walnut Acres Campground (K), Wapsipinicon Country Club (L), Edinburgh Ghost Town and Museum (M), Little Bear Country Club (N). Display/hide their locations on the map
Churches in Tama County include: Antioch Church (A), Wayne Zion Church (B), White Oak Church (C), Cass Center Church (D), Center Church (E), First United Church (F), Forest Chapel (G), Berean Bible Church (H), Fairview Baptist Church (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Cemeteries: North Madison Pioneer Cemetery (1), North Mineral Cemetery (2), Amber Cemetery (3), Norwich Cemetery (4), Olin Cemetery (5), Bear Creek Cemetery (6), Johnstown Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map
Creeks: Cline Creek (A), Deer Creek (B), Dutch Creek (C), Silver Creek (D), Tibetts Creek (E), Whitewater Creek (F), Prairie Creek (G), White Oak Creek (H), Pioneer Creek (I). Display/hide their locations on the map
Parks in Tama County include: Chimney Rock Indian Bluffs State Game Mgt Ar (1), Wapsipinicon State Park (2), Central Park (3), Muskrat Slough State Game Management Area (4), Pictured Rocks County Park (5). Display/hide their locations on the map
Current college students: 561 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 89.9% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 17.0%
Number of foreign born residents: 645 (36.6% naturalized citizens)
Tama County:
3.7%
Whole state:
5.1%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
2010 or later: 67
2000 to 2009: 126
1990 to 1999: 145
1980 to 1989: 98
1970 to 1979: 42
Before 1970: 56
Note: State values scaled to Tama County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 20.7 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 61.5%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 6,836
One, attached: 83
Two: 115
3 or 4: 180
5 to 9: 181
10 to 19: 84
20 or more: 52
Mobile homes: 304
Housing units in Tama County with a mortgage: 2,644 (93 second mortgage, 162 home equity loan, 5 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 2,508
Here:
50.0% with mortgage
State:
60.6% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Tama County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Mainline Protestant
5,233
22
Catholic
2,614
4
Evangelical Protestant
727
10
Other
8
-
None
9,185
-
Tama County Religion Details
Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Food Environment Statistics:
Number of grocery stores: 4
Tama County:
2.25 / 10,000 pop.
State:
2.14 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (no gas): 2
This county:
1.13 / 10,000 pop.
Iowa:
0.43 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 13
Tama County:
7.32 / 10,000 pop.
Iowa:
5.55 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 13
This county:
7.32 / 10,000 pop.
State:
8.01 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Tama County:
8.5%
Iowa:
7.8%
Adult obesity rate:
Tama County:
28.1%
State:
27.3%
Low-income preschool obesity rate:
Here:
16.8%
State:
14.5%
Agriculture in Tama County:
Average size of farms: 361 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $110,464 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $291.29 The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 24.50% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $92,680 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 79.41% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $112,228 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 85.42% Average age of principal farm operators: 55 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 8.26 Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 2.82% Corn for grain: 165657 harvested acres Soybeans for beans: 147925 harvested acres Vegetables: 22 harvested acres Land in orchards: 88 acres
Tornado activity:
Tama County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is significantly below Iowa state average. It is 3406717.9 times below overall U.S. average. Tornadoes in this county have caused one fatality and 20 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004. On 4/23/1961, a category 3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado killed one person and injured 12 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.
Earthquake activity:
Tama County-area historical earthquake activity is slightly below Iowa state average. It is 83% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 4/18/2008 at 09:36:59, a magnitude 5.4 (5.1 MB, 4.8 MS, 5.4 MW, 5.2 MW, Depth: 8.9 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 351.0 miles away from Tama County center On 6/10/1987 at 23:48:54, a magnitude 5.1 (4.9 MB, 4.4 MS, 4.6 MS, 5.1 LG) earthquake occurred 332.8 miles away from the county center On 6/28/2004 at 06:10:52, a magnitude 4.2 (4.0 MB, 4.2 MW, Depth: 6.2 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 192.9 miles away from the county center On 7/9/1975 at 14:54:15, a magnitude 4.6 (4.6 MB) earthquake occurred 303.6 miles away from the county center On 9/26/1990 at 13:18:51, a magnitude 5.0 (4.7 MB, 4.8 LG, 5.0 LG, Depth: 7.7 mi) earthquake occurred 375.3 miles away from Tama County center On 6/18/2002 at 17:37:15, a magnitude 5.0 (4.3 MB, 4.6 MW, 5.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 378.9 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)
Most recent natural disasters:
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-line Winds, and Flooding, Incident Period: June 26, 2014 to July 08, 2014, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4187: August 05, 2014, FEMA Id: 4187, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood, Wind
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 19, 2013 to June 15, 2013, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4126: July 02, 2013, FEMA Id: 4126, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Iowa Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, Incident Period: July 09, 2011 to July 14, 2011, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-4016: August 24, 2011, FEMA Id: 4016, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood, Wind
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 25, 2008 to August 13, 2008, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1763: May 27, 2008, FEMA Id: 1763, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Iowa Severe Winter Storms, Incident Period: February 23, 2007 to March 02, 2007, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1688: March 14, 2007, FEMA Id: 1688, Natural disaster type: Winter Storm
Iowa Hurricane Katrina Evacuation, Incident Period: August 29, 2005 to October 01, 2005, Emergency Declared EM-3239: September 10, 2005, FEMA Id: 3239, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, Incident Period: May 19, 2004 to June 24, 2004, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1518: May 25, 2004, FEMA Id: 1518, Natural disaster type: Storm, Tornado, Flood
Iowa Severe Weather, Tornadoes and Flooding, Incident Period: June 13, 1998 to July 15, 1998, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1230: July 02, 1998, FEMA Id: 1230, Natural disaster type: Tornado, Flood
Iowa Flooding, Severe Storm, Incident Period: April 13, 1993 to October 01, 1993, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-996: July 09, 1993, FEMA Id: 996, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
Iowa Flooding, Severe Storm, Incident Period: March 26, 1993 to April 12, 1993, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-986: April 26, 1993, FEMA Id: 986, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
6 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Tama County (16) is greater than the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 15 Emergencies Declared: 1
Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 14, Storms: 10, Tornadoes: 5, Winds: 2, Heavy Rain: 1, Hurricane: 1, Winter Storm: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (7%)
Sales and related occupations (7%)
Material moving occupations (7%)
Office and administrative support occupations (19%)
Education, training, and library occupations (10%)
Sales and related occupations (8%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (8%)
Production occupations (7%)
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (7%)
Management occupations (6%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Mexico (78%)
Philippines (4%)
Korea (2%)
Morocco (2%)
England (1%)
Poland (1%)
Germany (1%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Tama County (%):
German (28%)
American (11%)
Czech (10%)
Irish (5%)
English (3%)
Norwegian (2%)
European (2%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 4,710 (78.3%)
Carpooled: 598 (9.9%)
Bus or trolley bus: 32 (0.5%)
Taxicab, motorcycle, or other means: 84 (1.4%)
Bicycle: 12 (0.2%)
Walked: 250 (4.2%)
Worked at home: 318 (5.3%)
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
People in group quarters in Tama County, Iowa in 2000:
319 people in nursing homes
111 people in unknown juvenile institutions
32 people in local jails and other confinement facilities (including police lockups)
32 people in other noninstitutional group quarters
People in group quarters in Tama County, Iowa in 2010:
275 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
75 people in correctional facilities intended for juveniles
32 people in residential treatment centers for adults
14 people in local jails and other municipal confinement facilities
3 people in group homes intended for adults
Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $52,103.
5.05% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($33,038 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
5.05%
Iowa average:
5.75%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
3.93% relocated from other counties in Iowa ($24,925 average AGI)
1.12% relocated from other states ($8,110 average AGI)
Tama County:
1.12%
Iowa average:
2.41%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
Top counties from which taxpayers relocated into this county between 2010 and 2011:
5.76% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($37,663 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
5.76%
Iowa average:
5.94%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
4.63% relocated to other counties in Iowa ($30,339 average AGI)
1.13% relocated to other states ($7,324 average AGI)
Tama County:
1.13%
Iowa average:
2.60%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2010 and 2011:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 12.9 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 13.3
Births per 1000 population in Tama County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.9 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 11.4 Deaths per 1000 population from 2007 to 2014: 11.3
Deaths per 1000 population in Tama County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 6.9 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 5.4
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Tama County
Population without health insurance coverage in 2013: 13.1% Persons under 19 years old without health insurance coverage in 2013: 7.1%
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Tama County
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Tama County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 3,566 (3,227 aged, 339 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 369 (8%)
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Aged persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Disabled persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Most common underlying causes of death in Tama County, Iowa in 1999 - 2014:
Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (233)
Alzheimer's disease, unspecified (203)
Atherosclerotic heart disease (189)
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (164)
2,511 married couples with children.
1,073 single-parent households (339 men, 734 women).
90.0% of residents of Tama speak English at home.
6.0% of residents speak Spanish at home (49% speak English very well, 20% speak English well, 22% speak English not well, 9% don't speak English at all).
0.4% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (52% speak English very well, 40% speak English well, 7% speak English not well).
0.2% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (41% speak English very well, 59% speak English well).
3.7% of residents speak other language at home (85% speak English very well, 12% speak English well, 2% speak English not well, 1% don't speak English at all).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $107,005,000 ($5,962 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $944,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $45,572,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $20,482,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $21,386,000 Federal grants: $14,740,000 Federal procurement contracts: $894,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $3,930,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $978,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $3,497,000 Federal Government insurance: $64,806,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 1,239
Here:
69 per 1000 residents
State:
66 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 1,090
Here:
61 per 1000 residents
State:
48 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +51
Here:
+3 per 1000 residents
State:
+10 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -357
Here:
-20 per 1000 residents
State:
-14 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Tama County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 2.41 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Note: State values scaled to Tama County population
no vehicle: 65
1 vehicle: 1,053
2 vehicles: 2,192
3 vehicles: 1,159
4 vehicles: 408
5+ vehicles: 274
no vehicle: 168
1 vehicle: 711
2 vehicles: 445
3 vehicles: 186
4 vehicles: 56
5+ vehicles: 54
90% of Tama County residents lived in the same house 1 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 36% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 86% lived in Iowa.
Tama County:
89.5%
State average:
84.7%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 14,185
Other state: 2,643
Northeast: 145
Midwest: 1,337
South: 433
West: 730
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Tama County
Click here to upload your Tama County photos (outside city limits)
43.2 years
38.0 years
(49.4%)
(50.6%)
, Benton County 
, Kenosha County, Wisconsin 
