| ZIP Codes: | 14 ZIP Codes (13 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 319 / 563 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:11:52 PM |
| Population: | 19,045 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 19065 |
| Land Area: | 696 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 1 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 42.8722, -91.8518 |
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19,045 residents live across 14 ZIPs covering 696 sq mi, served by 14 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 20,048 to 19,045 from 2014 to 2024 — a -5.0% change. 5 ZIPs gained residents, 9 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 52166 (Saint Lucas, $110,938 median) and poorest ZIP 52164 (Randalia, $48,375) are 14.6 miles apart — a 2.3× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 1.8× across this county — from $107,700 in 50662 (Oelwein) to $192,100 in 52171 (Waucoma).
Density varies 74× across the county — from 7 people/sq mi in 52164 (Randalia) to 537 in 52166 (Saint Lucas).
Educational attainment ranges from 10.1% bachelor's+ in 52171 (Waucoma) to 30.6% in 50606 (Arlington) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Iowa, this is the #37 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #82 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $60,933 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
20.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,640 of 13,215 reporting).
13 Standard delivery, 1 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
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.
Fayette County lost 5.0% of residents between 2014 and 2024. ZIPs that shed the largest share:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50662 | Oelwein | Standard | 6,576 | $48,646 | 69.3 | -5.1% |
| 52175 | West Union | Standard | 3,484 | $59,800 | 84.8 | -7.0% |
| 52142 | Fayette | Standard | 1,890 | $56,875 | 75.5 | 13.7% |
| 52171 | Waucoma | Standard | 1,314 | $94,904 | 84.3 | 39.3% |
| 52141 | Elgin | Standard | 1,259 | $64,647 | 84.6 | -16.8% |
| 52147 | Hawkeye | Standard | 911 | $77,083 | 73.2 | -27.8% |
| 52135 | Clermont | Standard | 834 | $88,438 | 29.3 | -11.5% |
| 50606 | Arlington | Standard | 803 | $61,346 | 69.5 | -15.5% |
| 50655 | Maynard | Standard | 739 | $58,750 | 33.3 | 0.8% |
| 50681 | Westgate | Standard | 481 | $73,333 | 26.3 | -5.3% |
| 52169 | Wadena | Standard | 367 | $52,321 | 38.8 | -25.9% |
| 52164 | Randalia | Standard | 187 | $48,375 | 25.9 | -7.0% |
| 52166 | Saint Lucas | PO Box | 137 | $110,938 | 0.3 | 30.5% |
| 50664 | Oran | Standard | 63 | $51,741 | 1.0 | 8.6% |