Storm Lake, Iowa
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Growing. Up 2.9% since 2020.
11,590
people, the 34th-largest of Iowa's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Iowa's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
6 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
61.1%
of 9,390 jobs located in Storm Lake are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 63% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$898
a month. Iowa's median is $972.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $261.
A $261 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Buena Vista County.
- $684 Tract 9602
- $945 Tract 9606
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$1,189–$1,784
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $898 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 242 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 32% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 84% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–2.2% to the 4,198 homes here.
16–94
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 17% less than Iowa's.
$172,200
median home value in Storm Lake.
- $172,200 Storm Lake
- $208,000 Iowa
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year