| ZIP Codes: | 11 ZIP Codes (9 Standard, 2 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 712 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:11:55 PM |
| Population: | 11,310 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 19165 |
| Land Area: | 503 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 0 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 41.6922, -95.3369 |
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11,310 residents live across 11 ZIPs covering 503 sq mi, served by 10 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 11,682 to 11,310 from 2014 to 2024 — a -3.2% change. 4 ZIPs gained residents, 6 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 51565 (Portsmouth, $103,257 median) and poorest ZIP 51531 (Elk Horn, $59,199) are 22.2 miles apart — a 1.7× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.2× across this county — from $91,400 in 51446 (Irwin) to $204,700 in 51570 (Shelby).
Density varies 521× across the county — from 3 people/sq mi in 51447 (Kirkman) to 1,664 in 51578 (Westphalia).
Educational attainment ranges from 13.8% bachelor's+ in 51570 (Shelby) to 30.0% in 51446 (Irwin) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Iowa, this is the #68 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #53 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $68,949 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
23.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (1,863 of 7,885 reporting).
9 Standard delivery, 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51537 | Harlan | Standard | 6,382 | $65,000 | 162.6 | -2.7% |
| 51570 | Shelby | Standard | 1,118 | $77,708 | 63.1 | 32.9% |
| 51531 | Elk Horn | Standard | 889 | $59,199 | 27.7 | 8.0% |
| 51530 | Earling | Standard | 809 | $73,750 | 55.1 | -33.5% |
| 51565 | Portsmouth | Standard | 516 | $103,257 | 46.4 | -7.5% |
| 51562 | Panama | Standard | 506 | $81,250 | 34.5 | 45.0% |
| 51446 | Irwin | Standard | 499 | $62,750 | 35.7 | -14.7% |
| 51527 | Defiance | Standard | 362 | $64,750 | 42.9 | -26.6% |
| 51578 | Westphalia | PO Box | 116 | $77,292 | 0.1 | 19.6% |
| 51447 | Kirkman | Standard | 113 | $68,214 | 35.4 | -30.2% |
| 51593 | Harlan | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |