City safety & data profile

Storm LakeIA

Storm Lake, IA is a 11K-resident city in Buena Vista County with a median household income of $62,765.

Buena Vista County, Iowa. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Storm Lake, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Storm Lake has a population larger than 6% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $172,200, and 1 hospital serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

11K
Population
Top 94%
By size
$62,765
Median income
$172,200
Median home
7%
Poverty rate

The read on Storm Lake

Storm Lake posts a median household income higher than 27% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 hospital serves the Storm Lake area.

Top 73%
by median income, US cities
1
hospital in & near Storm Lake

Where Storm Lake income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$62,765 Bottom 27% higher than 27% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IA $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Storm Lake, IA beyond the headline numbers

Storm Lake sits inside Buena Vista County, Iowa, at roughly 42.64°N, -95.21°W. Population 10,910, $62,765 median household income. Median home value $172,200, median rent $898. Poverty rate 7%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Storm Lake's highest-prevalence health measure is obesity at 38.5%, then short sleep duration at 35.7%. 1 hospital in/around Storm Lake, 2/5 avg rating, 1 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Storm Lake from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
10,910
Storm Lake
Median Income
$62,765
-8% vs avg
Median Home Value
$172,200
-24% vs avg
Median Age
30.9
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Buena Vista County) - Storm Lake's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
21K+2%
Median Income
$71,719+53%
Median Home Value
$159,500+63%
Poverty Rate
7.8%-39%
Unemployment
5.5%+45%

Economics

Economics indicators for Storm Lake, IA
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$898/mo
Poverty Rate
7% -51% vs avg
Unemployment 4.4%
Bachelor's Degree+ 18.9%
Work From Home 4.3%
Public Transit 1%

Population

White 46%
African American 3.8%
Asian 12.9%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

Obesity
38.5%
Short Sleep Duration
35.7%
Physical Inactivity
33.6%
High Blood Pressure
31.6%
Binge Drinking
17.5%
Frequent Mental Distress
17.3%
Lack of Health Insurance
17.3%
Current Smoking
16.2%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.1%
Diabetes
12.9%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 58.9%
Annual Checkup 74.7%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
9.3%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.3%
Stroke
3.4%

Hospitals 1 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
0
★★★
0
★★
1
★
0
Average Rating
2/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
BUENA VISTA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
STORM LAKE · Critical Access Hospitals · ER
★★☆☆☆

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Storm Lake, IA? ▼
Storm Lake, IA has a population of 10,910 people, located in Buena Vista County, Iowa.
What is the median household income in Storm Lake? ▼
The median household income in Storm Lake, IA is $62,765 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 7%.
What is the median home value in Storm Lake? ▼
The median home value in Storm Lake, IA is $172,200. Median rent is $898/month.
What are the top health concerns in Storm Lake? ▼
The top health indicators in Storm Lake include Obesity (38.5%), Short Sleep Duration (35.7%), Physical Inactivity (33.6%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Storm Lake? ▼
Storm Lake has 1 hospital with an average rating of 2/5 stars. 1 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Storm Lake? ▼
The median age in Storm Lake, IA is 30.9 years. 18.9% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Storm Lake, IA is located in Buena Vista County, Iowa. With a population of 11K and a $62,765 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and short sleep duration. Residents have access to 1 hospital with an average rating of 2/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Storm Lake area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Iowa

Real-time AQI for every monitored Iowa location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Spencer, IA 11K Fort Dodge, IA 25K Worthington, MN 13K Sioux City, IA 83K South Sioux City, NE 13K Fairmont, MN 10K Boone, IA 13K Council Bluffs, IA 63K
All cities in Iowa → Compare Storm Lake vs Spencer → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Storm Lake's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Storm Lake area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Storm Lake against Iowa peers on any ranking lens. Explore Iowa

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Buena Vista County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.