What is the population of Clear Lake city?

Clear Lake city has 7,603 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #52 of 1,026 in Iowa.

What is the median household income in Clear Lake city?

Median household income in Clear Lake city is $70,278 a year, 10.5% below the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Clear Lake city?

Median gross rent is $755 a month and the median home value is $235,100, so rent absorbs about 12.9% of median household income.

Is Clear Lake city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 3.3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Clear Lake city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 12.9% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Iowa · Census place 14025

Clear Lake, IA population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Clear Lake, Iowa (Clear Lake, IA — Census place “Clear Lake city”) is 7,603 residents, ranking #52 of 1026 places in Iowa. Median household income is $70,278, the median home is worth $235,100 and median gross rent runs $755 a month. Looking for the Clear Lake Iowa ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Clear Lake, IA: 50428.

Population: 7,603Clear Lake city residents
Median household income: $70,278Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $235,100Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $755Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 49.2 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 74.9%Owner-occupied households

Clear Lake ZIP codes (Iowa)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Clear Lake.

The Clear Lake IA ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

50428

What the numbers mean in Clear Lake city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Clear Lake city median would spend about 12.9% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.3× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 7.3% of residents and 74.9% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Clear Lake city, IA in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Clear Lake city is a mid-size town in Iowa, with 7,603 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #52 of 1,026 ranked by population — larger than 95% of them. The median age here is 49.2 years against 39.1 nationally, a markedly older profile that usually tracks retirees staying put and younger households leaving for work. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Clear Lake city earn a median of $70,278 a year, 10.5% below the national figure of $78,538 and 4% above the $67,791 median for the 290 Iowa cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 7.3% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Clear Lake city is valued at $235,100, 22.5% below the national figure and 50% above the $156,300 peer median, while median gross rent runs $755 a month, 46.3% below the national figure, or roughly $9,060 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 12.9% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.3×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 74.9% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans toward owners. Gross rent folds in the utilities a tenant pays separately, so it is closer to the real monthly outlay than a headline rent figure.

All values below were released by the Census for this exact geography, with no gap-filling on our side. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

Places of similar size in Iowa.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Clear Lake city?: Clear Lake city has 7,603 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #52 of 1,026 in Iowa.
What is the median household income in Clear Lake city?: Median household income in Clear Lake city is $70,278 a year, 10.5% below the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Clear Lake city?: Median gross rent is $755 a month and the median home value is $235,100, so rent absorbs about 12.9% of median household income.
Is Clear Lake city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 3.3× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Clear Lake city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 12.9% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Clear Lake city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.