| ZIP Codes: | 8 ZIP Codes (8 Standard, 0 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 515 / 712 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:53:12 PM |
| Population: | 9,246 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 19147 |
| Land Area: | 608 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 8 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 43.0639, -94.7038 |
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9,246 residents live across 8 ZIPs covering 608 sq mi, served by 8 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 9,669 to 9,246 from 2014 to 2024 — a -4.4% change. 3 ZIPs gained residents, 5 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 50528 (Cylinder, $116,429 median) and poorest ZIP 50536 (Emmetsburg, $59,261) are 9.1 miles apart — a 2.0× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 6.4× across this county — from $29,300 in 50515 (Ayrshire) to $187,500 in 50528 (Cylinder).
Density varies 12× across the county — from 3 people/sq mi in 50527 (Curlew) to 30 in 50536 (Emmetsburg).
Educational attainment ranges from 14.2% bachelor's+ in 51342 (Graettinger) to 38.4% in 50528 (Cylinder) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Iowa, this is the #81 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #28 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $71,598 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
19.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (1,239 of 6,320 reporting).
8 Standard delivery, 0 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.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50536 | Emmetsburg | Standard | 4,207 | $59,261 | 141.2 | -7.3% |
| 51342 | Graettinger | Standard | 1,385 | $84,866 | 73.7 | 24.6% |
| 50597 | West Bend | Standard | 1,341 | $92,000 | 87.5 | 1.1% |
| 51358 | Ruthven | Standard | 1,213 | $64,583 | 82.3 | 5.5% |
| 50562 | Mallard | Standard | 377 | $72,500 | 62.5 | -28.9% |
| 50528 | Cylinder | Standard | 366 | $116,429 | 82.2 | -21.6% |
| 50515 | Ayrshire | Standard | 251 | $63,333 | 37.4 | -9.4% |
| 50527 | Curlew | Standard | 106 | — | 41.5 | -60.2% |