The following information was obtained from the American Communities Survey portion of the U.S. Census Bureau web‐site. The data chosen were items that profiled characteristics of all Iowans, Blacks, and Hispanics as they may relate to their participation in the Iowa economy. Those data are not available for other Iowa minority populations as the survey numbers were too small to generate statistical confidence in the findings. In other reports, covering different periods of time, we note that, for example there are strong differences among Iowa’s minority groups in terms of the kinds of jobs that they do, the industries within which they work, and their likelihoods of self‐employment. It is important, therefore, to not over‐generalize the information in this brief to be indicative of all minorities. This report is a summary of aggregate characteristics of Blacks and Hispanics as they compare to all Iowans.