North Liberty, Population: 18,228

Before undertaking a special census last fall, city officials estimated North Liberty’s population somewhere around 17,000. Turns out they were wrong.
The US Census Bureau, which conducted the count, put the population at 18,228, according to a letter detailing the preliminary figure, which also noted that North Liberty had 7,548 housing units. At the last official population count in 2010, North Liberty’s population was just 13,374. The new number marks an increase of 36 percent in just five years.
Once the Census Bureau sends the certified population count to the state, the city will see increases funding from the state that is distributed per capita, particularly road-use tax, which is collected through the sale of gasoline. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015, North Liberty received about $1.4 million in road use tax. The increased population will mean an estimated additional $500,000 each fiscal year for road maintenance and construction, critical to a rapidly growing town like North Liberty.
The census cost about $280,000 to conduct, for items such as labor, office space and mileage.