| 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: | 11,847 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 19189 |
| Land Area: | 525 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 3 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 43.3948, -93.7353 |
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11,847 residents live across 7 ZIPs covering 525 sq mi, served by 7 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 12,077 to 11,847 from 2014 to 2024 — a -1.9% change. 2 ZIPs gained residents, 5 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 50453 (Leland, $77,868 median) and poorest ZIP 50465 (Rake, $42,386) are 15.3 miles apart — a 1.8× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 3.4× across this county — from $49,000 in 50465 (Rake) to $167,900 in 50436 (Forest City).
Density varies 8× across the county — from 7 people/sq mi in 50473 (Scarville) to 53 in 50465 (Rake).
Educational attainment ranges from 13.3% bachelor's+ in 50453 (Leland) to 35.0% in 50478 (Thompson) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Iowa, this is the #64 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #93 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $70,832 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
25.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (2,068 of 8,262 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.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50436 | Forest City | Standard | 5,771 | $74,940 | 134.2 | -4.4% |
| 50450 | Lake Mills | Standard | 2,952 | $76,125 | 86.7 | 20.1% |
| 50424 | Buffalo Center | Standard | 1,441 | $59,091 | 148.4 | 5.6% |
| 50478 | Thompson | Standard | 737 | $48,750 | 76.5 | -18.9% |
| 50453 | Leland | Standard | 537 | $77,868 | 43.4 | -23.7% |
| 50473 | Scarville | Standard | 219 | $50,227 | 32.5 | -22.6% |
| 50465 | Rake | PO Box | 190 | $42,386 | 3.6 | -41.0% |