| | Laurel, IA | Altoona, IA | United States |
| Population | 195 | 19,345 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 43.6% | 51.8% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 56.4% | 48.2% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 51.5 | 36.2 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 239 | 14,703 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 266 | 10,345 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 271 | 7,191 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -12.0% | 88.5% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | -13.7% | 171.2% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 776.9 | 1,788.2 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 0.3 | 10.8 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.0 | 0.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Laurel, IA | Altoona, IA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 3.6% | 6.2% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.7% | 8.9% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 1.5% | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.1% | 4.5% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 5.1% | 2.6% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 0.5% | 4.5% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 8.2% | 14.3% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 16.4% | 16.1% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 12.3% | 11.6% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.6% | 5.5% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 11.8% | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 19.0% | 7.4% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.6% | 4.0% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 0.5% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Laurel, IA | Altoona, IA | United States |
| White | 98.5% | 88.5% | 59.4% |
| Black | 0.0% | 3.2% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.6% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 1.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 0.0% | 1.9% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 1.5% | 4.7% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Laurel, IA | Altoona, IA | United States |
| Married Population | 50.0% | 53.9% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 48.8% | 53.4% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 1.2% | 0.5% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 50.0% | 46.1% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 29.1% | 28.5% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 16.3% | 14.1% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 4.7% | 3.5% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.24 | 2.69 | 2.60 |
| Households | 87 | 7,159 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 53 | 5,017 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 18.9% | 35.1% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 56.6% | 41.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 34 | 2,142 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 3.8% | 17.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 20.8% | 6.3% | 10.8% |