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This report, culling data from Census Bureau reports from 1850 to 1980 provides information in the following three categories: (1) Minority Groups in Iowa: The Situation in 1980; (2) Changes from 1970 to 1980 for Black and White Iowans; and (3) Changes from 1900 to 1980 for Black and White Iowans. Among the highlights for the Iowa population in 1980 are the following: (1) Iowa has much smaller proportions of minority groups than does the nation as a whole; (2) social characteristics varied among minority and majority groups; (3) Whites were generally older than minorities; (4) among males and females over 15, larger numbers were married than were in any other marital status, except among Blacks; (5) the fertility rate was lowest for Asians, Pacific Islanders and Whites; (6) Whites generally enjoyed higher socioeconomic status than did the other groups; (7) participation in the labor force did not vary much among minority and majority groups; (8) the median income for American Indians was about two-thirds that of Whites; and (9) more than one-quarter of all American Indians, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Blacks were in poverty. Evaluation of the characteristics of Black and White Iowans from 1970 to 1980 revealed the following: (1) the Black population increased at a faster rate than the White population; (2) while the proportion of the population 65 or older increased for Whites, it decreased for Blacks; (4) women increased their participation in the labor force, while males deceased theirs; and (5) the median family income increased for Whites faster than it did for Blacks. Minimal data were available on Black Iowans before 1960. Data are presented in 32 tables and 38 figures. (BJV)