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West Branch, IA

This is a small community in a single neighborhood. As throughout the site, some neighborhood-level data are reserved for subscribers.





Overview


West Branch is a very small city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 2,653 people and just one neighborhood, West Branch is the 218th largest community in Iowa. There's nothing like the smell of a brand new house, and in West Branch, you'll find that a large proportion of houses were recently built. New growth in residential real estate is an indication that people are choosing to move to West Branch, and putting down their money on brand new construction. West Branch’s real estate is, on average, some of the newest in the nation. West Branch does seem to be experiencing an influx of affluent people, because the median household income is $72,938.00.

West Branch real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although West Branch house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Occupations and Workforce

Unlike some cities where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, West Branch is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, West Branch is a city of sales and office workers, professionals, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in West Branch who work in office and administrative support (12.76%), sales jobs (12.62%), and teaching (10.70%).

Setting & Lifestyle

Demographics

In terms of college education, West Branch is somewhat better educated than the 21.84% who have a 4-year degree or higher in the typical US community: 26.14% of adults 25 and older in the city have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in West Branch in 2022 was $32,988, which is middle income relative to Iowa and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $131,952 for a family of four. However, West Branch contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call West Branch home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of West Branch residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in West Branch include German, Irish, English, Czech, and Danish.

The most common language spoken in West Branch is English. Other important languages spoken here include Polish and Spanish.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Real Estate

Unpopulated, and rural, the neighborhood is one of the least crowded neighborhoods in all of America. If you like open space, no traffic, and lots of room, this neighborhood may be just what you are looking for. According to NeighborhoodScout's leading research, this neighborhood is less densely populated than 92.6% of the neighborhoods in America.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Czechoslovakian and Danish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 2.3% of this neighborhood's residents have Czechoslovakian ancestry and 2.9% have Danish ancestry.

The Neighbors

There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in West Branch are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 67.1% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 9.3% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 52.4% of America's neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the neighborhood, 29.1% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 28.1% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (24.4%), and 15.9% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.9% of households. Some people also speak Italian (2.5%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the neighborhood in West Branch, IA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (39.3%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (15.4%), and residents who report English roots (10.4%), and some of the residents are also of Mexican ancestry (3.1%), along with some Danish ancestry residents (2.9%), among others.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (42.2% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (86.2%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.


Real Estate includes:
Average Home Values
Rental Market
Housing Market Details
Neighborhood Setting
Economics & Demographics include:
Lifestyle & Special Character
Household Types
Commute To Work
Migration & Mobility
Race & Ethnic Diversity
Employment Industries & Occupations
Income & Unemployment Rate
Higher Education Attainment
Crime includes:
Neighborhood Crime Index
Crimes Per Square Mile
Property Crime Comparison
Violent Crime Comparison
Schools include:
School Ratings
Schools In District
Public School Test Scores
School District Enrollment
Educational Expenditures

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