City safety & data profile

Fort DodgeIA

Fort Dodge, IA is a 25K-resident city in Webster County with a median household income of $60,649.

Webster County, Iowa. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Fort Dodge, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Fort Dodge has a population larger than 54% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $144,100, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

25K
Population
Top 46%
By size
$60,649
Median income
$144,100
Median home
15.9%
Poverty rate

The read on Fort Dodge

Fort Dodge posts a median household income higher than 23% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Fort Dodge area.

Top 77%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Fort Dodge

Where Fort Dodge income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$60,649 Bottom 23% higher than 23% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Fort Dodge, IA beyond the headline numbers

Fort Dodge sits inside Webster County, Iowa, at roughly 42.50°N, -94.17°W. Population 24,649, $60,649 median household income. Median home value $144,100, median rent $785. Poverty rate 15.9%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Fort Dodge's highest-prevalence health measure is obesity at 41.7%, then short sleep duration at 37.7%. 1 hospital in/around Fort Dodge, 2/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Fort Dodge from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
24,649
Fort Dodge
Median Income
$60,649
-11% vs avg
Median Home Value
$144,100
-37% vs avg
Median Age
37.6
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Webster County) - Fort Dodge's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
37K-2%
Median Income
$68,975+66%
Median Home Value
$153,800+82%
Poverty Rate
12.9%-18%
Unemployment
4.8%-53%

Economics

Economics indicators for Fort Dodge, IA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$785/mo
Poverty Rate
15.9% +12% vs avg
Unemployment 6%
Bachelor's Degree+ 21.7%
Work From Home 4.4%
Public Transit 0.4%

Population

White 82.7%
African American 4.6%
Asian 1.6%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Obesity
41.7%
Short Sleep Duration
37.7%
High Blood Pressure
36.7%
Physical Inactivity
28.4%
Binge Drinking
20.8%
Frequent Mental Distress
17.5%
Current Smoking
16.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
13.4%
Diabetes
11.8%
Current Asthma
10.3%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 63.3%
Annual Checkup 77.5%

Other Measures

Lack of Health Insurance
8.6%
Coronary Heart Disease
7%
Stroke
3.7%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
0
★★★
0
★★
1
★
0
Average Rating
2/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
TRINITY REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
FORT DODGE · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★☆☆☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Fort Dodge, IA? ▼
Fort Dodge, IA has a population of 24,649 people, located in Webster County, Iowa.
What is the median household income in Fort Dodge? ▼
The median household income in Fort Dodge, IA is $60,649 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 15.9%.
What is the median home value in Fort Dodge? ▼
The median home value in Fort Dodge, IA is $144,100. Median rent is $785/month.
What are the top health concerns in Fort Dodge? ▼
The top health indicators in Fort Dodge include Obesity (41.7%), Short Sleep Duration (37.7%), High Blood Pressure (36.7%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Fort Dodge? ▼
Fort Dodge has 1 hospital with an average rating of 2/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Fort Dodge? ▼
The median age in Fort Dodge, IA is 37.6 years. 21.7% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Fort Dodge, IA is located in Webster County, Iowa. With a population of 25K and a $60,649 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and short sleep duration. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 2/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Fort Dodge area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Iowa

Real-time AQI for every monitored Iowa location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Boone, IA 13K Ames, IA 65K Grimes, IA 11K Waukee, IA 19K Johnston, IA 21K Ankeny, IA 57K Urbandale, IA 44K Clive, IA 15K
All cities in Iowa → Compare Fort Dodge vs Boone → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Fort Dodge's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Fort Dodge area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Fort Dodge against Iowa peers on any ranking lens. Explore Iowa

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Webster County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.