New U.S. Census Bureau information released today shows the suburbs of some of Iowa’s largest cities have grown the fastest over the past three years. Gary Krob is coordinator of the State Data Center. “Two things I took away from this…first, Waukee is the fastest growing city in Iowa and it has been for a number of years. The other thing of interest is Ankeny crossed over 50,000 people for the first time,” Krob said.
In addition to Waukee, two other Des Moines suburbs are among the top four cities for population growth in Iowa — along with an Iowa City suburb. The Census Bureau report is based on population estimates in July 2013 compared to April 2010. Waukee grew by 23.7-percent to lead the state. Tiffin’s population grew by 20.5-percent, Bondurant 19.5-percent, and Polk City increased its population by 16.3-percent.
Several of Iowa’s bigger cities have lost residents since 2010. “Fort Dodge had the biggest decrease in numeric change. They lost 567 people from 2010. Clinton lost 412 people, Mason City 375, and Council Bluffs 259,” Krob said. Iowa’s largest city, Des Moines, grew by just 1.6-percent and has an estimated population of 207,510.
Iowa’s overall population grew by 1.4-percent to 3,090,416. You can see a more complete breakdown of the numbers on the State Data Center website at: www.iowadatacenter.org.