IOWA

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Cedar Rapids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Davenport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Des Moines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

The State in Brief

Nickname: Hawkeye State

Motto: Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain

Flower: Wild rose

Bird: Eastern goldfinch

Area: 56,271 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 26th)

Elevation: Ranges from 480 feet to 1,670 feet above sea level

Climate: Continental, with extremes in temperature (30 degrees in winter, 100 degrees in summer)

Admitted to Union: December 28, 1846

Capital: Des Moines

Head Official: Governor Tom Vilsack (D) (until 2007)

Population

1980: 2,914,000

1990: 2,795,000

2000: 2,926,382

2004 estimate: 2,954,451

Percent change, 1990–2000: 5.4%

U.S. rank in 2004: 30th

Percent of residents born in state: 74.8% (2000)

Density: 52.4 people per square mile (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 101,265

Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)

White: 2,748,640

Black or African American: 61,853

American Indian and Alaska Native: 8,989

Asian: 36,635

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 1,009

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 82,473

Other: 37,420

Age Characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 188,413

Population 5 to 19 years old: 639,570

Percent of population 65 years and over: 14.9%

Median age: 36.6 years (2000)

Vital Statistics

Total number of births (2003): 38,243

Total number of deaths (2003): 28,138 (infant deaths, 207)

AIDS cases reported through 2003: 728

Economy

Major industries: Manufacturing; agriculture; finance, insurance, and real estate; trade; services

Unemployment rate: 5.1% (March 2005)

Per capita income: $28,398 (2003; U.S. rank: 36th)

Median household income: $41,985 (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Percentage of persons below poverty level: 8.5% (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Income tax rate: Ranges from 0.36% to 8.98%

Sales tax rate: 5.0%