As Iowa gears up to host the first 2024 Republican presidential nominating contest on Jan. 15, the state’s economy is growing but at a slower pace than most of the country. 

Home to 3.2 million people, the Hawkeye State is nearly 90% white and just under a third of its residents are college-educated. A smaller share of people in Iowa live in poverty than the U.S. average, 11% compared with 12.6% nationwide. The state’s economy depends on the retail, agriculture and manufacturing industries.