ZIP Codes of Buena Vista County, IA

Population & People
Population & People
Total Population
20,989
Household Income
Household Income
Median Income
$71,622
Housing
Housing
Total Housing Units
8,427
Business & Economy
Business & Economy
Total Businesses
496
Employment
Employment
Employment Rate
64.92%
Education
Education
Bachelor's Degree+
22.20%
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-Year Estimates · rolled up across the 9 ZIPs in this county.
Data Last Updated: July 1, 2026
ZIP Codes:9 ZIP Codes (8 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All]
Area Code:712
Timezone:Central (GMT -06:00)
Local Time:11:53:08 PM
Population:20,989 [See All]
FIPS:19021
CBSA:Storm Lake, IA
Land Area:647 sq mi
Water Area:6 sq mi
Coordinates:42.7752, -95.1350
Quick Link:
https://www.zip-codes.com/county/ia-buena-vista.asp
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Iowa's most foreign-born county
21.0% of residents are foreign-born.

Standout ZIPs in this County


Most Populous
Storm Lake · 13,431 people
64.0% of county total
Highest Income
Truesdale · $100,076 median
1.4× county average
Largest Land Area
Storm Lake · 146.3 sq mi
Spans the most ground
Fastest Growth
Storm Lake · 4.5% (10-yr)
12,847 → 13,431 residents
Most Educated
Alta · 27.4% bachelor's+
494 of 1,802 adults 25+

Things worth knowing about Buena Vista County


20,989 residents live across 9 ZIPs covering 647 sq mi, served by 9 distinct USPS-recognized cities.

Population moved from 20,570 to 20,802 from 2014 to 2024 — a +1.1% change. 5 ZIPs gained residents, 3 lost.

The county's wealthiest ZIP 50592 (Truesdale, $100,076 median) and poorest ZIP 50565 (Marathon, $51,875) are 14.3 miles apart — a 1.9× income gap across local geography.

Median home values vary 5.2× across this county — from $35,800 in 50592 (Truesdale) to $184,900 in 50588 (Storm Lake).

Density varies 65× across the county — from 6 people/sq mi in 51033 (Linn Grove) to 417 in 50592 (Truesdale).

Educational attainment ranges from 17.0% bachelor's+ in 50576 (Rembrandt) to 27.4% in 51002 (Alta) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.

Within Iowa, this is the #30 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #57 for median household income .

Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $71,115 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.

22.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,929 of 13,194 reporting).

8 Standard delivery, 1 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.

Stories about Buena Vista County


Big & sparse

A frontier county — vast land area with only a few residents per square mile. Daily life looks very different here than in the country's denser counties.

Total area
647
square miles
Avg density
32.4
people per sq mi
Population
20,989
across 9 ZIPs
Storm Lake
146.3 sq mi
13,431 residents
Alta
115.6 sq mi
2,787 residents
Albert City
91.5 sq mi
1,042 residents

Single-ZIP anchor

One ZIP holds the majority of this county's population — a sign of a county built around a single city or town.

Storm Lake

All ZIP Codes in Buena Vista County


ZIPCityTypePopulationMedian IncomeArea (sq mi)10-yr Growth
50588Storm LakeStandard13,431$70,906146.34.5%
51002AltaStandard2,787$70,625115.63.6%
50568NewellStandard1,384$75,25082.3-18.9%
50585Sioux RapidsStandard1,080$71,34662.715.9%
50510Albert CityStandard1,042$76,39791.52.3%
51033Linn GroveStandard421$60,62565.716.9%
50565MarathonStandard380$51,87544.7-37.8%
50576RembrandtStandard277$67,50037.6-31.8%
50592TruesdalePO Box187$100,0760.4

Adjacent & Nearby Counties