Baxter

Baxter is conveniently located near Des Moines, Ames, and Marshalltown. This creates the perfect opportunity for small town living with a quick commute for work. While many residents do commute to larger cities, businesses moving to Baxter will find that many would prefer to work near home.

Baxter has a strong K-12 school system, along with the Baxter Early Learning Center daycare.

Amenities

Baxter is an ideal spot for those who love the outdoors. Located at the head of the Chichaqua Valley Trail, it’s easy for residents to ride a bike, take a stroll, and enjoy the scenery. Residents also enjoy the Baxter Children’s Park, Sports Complex Playground, School Playground and Geise Park, in addition to the FREE fitness center.

Businesses

The community is growing and actively recruiting new businesses through the Baxter Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO). BEDCO is guided by community volunteers committed to the future growth of business, industry, and housing in Baxter. Along with the Mayor and City Council, this group has completed many successful projects since its formation in 1988.

For more information about the City of Baxter, click here.

Population

Population	2000	2010	2025	2030
Baxter	1,054	1,101	961	963

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Population by Age

Population	2025
0-4	58
5-9	61
10-14	83
15-19	64
20-24	59
25-29	70
30-34	51
35-39	48
40-44	60
45-49	57
50-54	58
55-59	52
60-64	53
65-69	77
70-74	40
75-79	35
80-84	21
85+	14
18+	720
Median Age	39

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Population by Race

Baxter	2025
Total	961.00
White Alone	98.02%
Black Alone	0%
American Indian Alone	0.1%
Asian Alone	0.31%
Pacific Islander Alone	0%
Some Other Race	0%
Two or More Races	1.56%
Hispanic Origin	0.94%
Diversity Index	5.70

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Growth Rate

Baxter	2025 - 2030
Population	0.04%
Households	-0.20%
Families	0.07%
Median Household Income	2%
Per Capita Income	2%

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Housing

Households

Population	2000	2010	2025	2030
Households	439	427	394	390
Housing Units	456	446	426	426
Owner Occupied Units			306	299
Renter Occupied Units			88	91
Vacant Units			32	36

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Home Value

Baxter	2025	2030
Median Home Value	$189,634	$271,296
Average Home Value	$242,729	$294,682
<$50,000	4	1
$50,000 - $99,999	20	9
$100,000 - $149,999	56	28
$150,000 - $199,999	90	66
$200,000 - $249,999	37	34
$250,000 - $299,999	22	27
$300,000 - $399,999	33	54
$400,000 - $499,999	31	67
$500,000 - $749,999	11	13
$1,000,000 +	0	0

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Housing Year Built

Year Range	Houses Built
2010 or Later	14
2000-2009	35
1990-1999	27
1980-1989	27
1970-1979	126
1960-1969	77
1950-1959	31
1940-1949	6
1939 or Before	135

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Income

Baxter	2025	2030
Median Household	$65,399	$71,216
Average Household	$92,151	$104,439
Per Capita	$37,781	$42,296

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Household Income

Baxter	2025
<$15,000	22
$15,000 - $24,999	34
$25,000 - $34,999	49
$35,000 - $49,999	30
$50,000 - $74,999	85
$75,000 - $99,999	57
$100,000 - $149,999	55
$150,000 - $199,999	25
$200,000+	37

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Employees

Commute

Category	Commuters
Workers 16+	547
In-County Residents	270
Out-of-County Residents	277
Drive Alone	459
Carpooled	22
Public Transport	0
Work at Home	43
Motorcycle	0
Bicycle	2
Walked	18
Other	3
Less than 5 minutes	64
5-9 minutes	57
10-14 minutes	14
15-19 minutes	6
20-24 minutes	38
25-29 minutes	51
30-34 minutes	71
35-39 minutes	89
40-44 minutes	15
45-59 minutes	92
60-89 minutes	3
90+ minutes	4
Average Travel Time	0

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Employees by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Employees	286
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt	0
Mining	0
Utilities	8
Construction	8
Manufacturing	0
Wholesale Trade	2

Retail Trade	73
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers	0
Furn & Home Furnish Str	0
Electronics & Appl Store	0
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip	0
Food & Beverage Stores	60
Health/Pers Care Stores	0
Gasoline Stations	10
Clothing/Accessory Store	0
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music	0
General Merchandise Str	3

Transportation/Warehouse	2
Information	2

Finance & Insurance	12
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn	11
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv	0
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other	1

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing	7
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv	24
Legal Services	1
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises	0
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt	0
Educational Services	81
HealthCare/Social Assist	20
Arts/Entertainment/Rec	0

Accommodation/Food Srvcs	3
Accommodation	0
Food Srv/Drinking Places	3

Other Srv excl Pub Admin	37
Auto Repair/Maintenance	22
Public Administration Emp	7

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Educational Attainment (25+)

Baxter	2025
<9th Grade	33
Some High School	3
GED	20
Graduated High School	131
Some College/No Degree	167
Associates Degree	118
Bachelor's Degree	121
Graduate Degree	43

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25

Businesses

Businesses by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Businesses	36
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt Bus	0
Mining Bus	0
Utilities Bus	1
Construction Bus	2
Manufacturing Bus	0
Wholesale Trade Bus	1

Retail Trade Bus	3
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers Bus	0
Furn & Home Furnish Str Bus	0
Electronics & Appl Store Bus	0
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip Bus	0
Food & Beverage Stores Bus	1
Health/Pers Care Stores Bus	0
Gasoline Stations Bus	1
Clothing/Accessory Store Bus	0
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music Bus	0
General Merchandise Str Bus	1

Transportation/Warehouse Bus	1
Information Bus	1

Finance & Insurance Bus	2
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn Bus	1
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv Bus	0
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other Bus	1

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing Bus	4
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv Bus	5
Legal Services Bus	1
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises Bus	0
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt Bus	0
Educational Services Bus	2
HealthCare/Social Assist Bus	1
Arts/Entertainment/Rec Bus	0

Accommodation/Food Srvcs Bus	1
Accommodation Bus	0
Food Srv/Drinking Places Bus	1

Other Srv excl Pub Admin Bus	9
Auto Repair/Maintenance Bus	3
Public Administration Bus	2

Source: ESRI, 2025-08-25