The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the city was 41.6 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,644 people, 644 households, and 439 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,364.3 people per square mile (529.0/km²). There were 684 housing units at an average density of 567.6 per square mile (220.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.09% White, 0.12% African American, 0.18% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.67% of the population. There were 644 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92.  24.8% are under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males. On the north side of Mediapolis is the Mediapolis Community School, an elementary, middle, and high school serving Mediapolis and a large rural area around Mediapolis. The school's sports teams are the Bulldogs and Bullettes.