| ZIP Codes: | 7 ZIP Codes (6 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 641 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:11:55 PM |
| Population: | 12,491 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 19175 |
| Land Area: | 503 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 2 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 41.0178, -94.2362 |
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12,491 residents live across 7 ZIPs covering 503 sq mi, served by 7 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 13,001 to 12,469 from 2014 to 2024 — a -4.1% change. 3 ZIPs gained residents, 3 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 50254 (Thayer, $64,211 median) and poorest ZIP 50801 (Creston, $58,015) are 18.0 miles apart — a 1.1× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 1.7× across this county — from $104,700 in 50842 (Cromwell) to $175,000 in 50254 (Thayer).
Density varies 25× across the county — from 6 people/sq mi in 50254 (Thayer) to 158 in 50842 (Cromwell).
Educational attainment ranges from 11.0% bachelor's+ in 50842 (Cromwell) to 26.8% in 50861 (Shannon City) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Iowa, this is the #61 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #87 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $58,904 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 (1,987 of 8,403 reporting).
6 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.
One ZIP holds the majority of this county's population — a sign of a county built around a single city or town.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50801 | Creston | Standard | 9,034 | $58,015 | 216.2 | -5.3% |
| 50830 | Afton | Standard | 1,846 | $61,094 | 118.0 | 1.8% |
| 50149 | Lorimor | Standard | 883 | $59,167 | 79.2 | -8.8% |
| 50861 | Shannon City | Standard | 311 | $63,125 | 41.7 | -1.0% |
| 50254 | Thayer | Standard | 296 | $64,211 | 47.3 | 7.2% |
| 50842 | Cromwell | Standard | 99 | $59,583 | 0.6 | 16.5% |
| 50831 | Arispe | PO Box | 22 | $95,625 | 0.1 | — |