What percentage of people rent in Spirit Lake, IA?

Name: Renters and owners in Spirit Lake, IA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

32.5% (±5.7 points) of the occupied homes in Spirit Lake, IA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 884 renting households against 1,832 that own their home.

In Spirit Lake, the share of households that rent went from 28.1% in 2015–2019 to 32.5% in 2020–2024 (+4.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 32.5% (±5.7 points)
Renting households: 884 (±175)
Median renter income: $52,974 (±$13,379)

Who rents and who owns in Spirit Lake

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Spirit Lake	Dickinson County	Iowa	United States
Renter-occupied share	32.5% (±5.7 points)	22.5% (±2.9 points)	28.3% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	884 (±175)	1,994 (±284)	372,311 (±3,635)	45,017,354
Owning households	1,832 (±182)	6,851 (±289)	943,396 (±5,414)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	1.5 (±0.2)	1.5 (±0.1)	2.0 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.2 (±0.2)	2.1 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$52,974 (±$13,379)	$45,192 (±$9,704)	$43,297 (±$758)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$73,000 (±$11,459)	$92,273 (±$5,634)	$91,638 (±$512)	$100,009

In Spirit Lake, the renter share is higher than in Dickinson County (22.5%).

It is not measurably different from Iowa (28.3%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Dickinson County, Spirit Lake ranks 3 of 10 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 130 of 943.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Spirit Lake has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	28.1% (±5.2 points)	32.5% (±5.7 points)	+4.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$848 (±$110)	$911 (±$56)	+7.4%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$54,293 (±$8,525)	$65,720 (±$12,101)	+21.0%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Spirit Lake

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Spirit Lake
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Spirit Lake	—	32.5% (±5.7 points)	—
Okoboji	2.2 mi	32.5% (±13.2 points)	Not measurably different
Orleans	2.8 mi	8.1% (±7.4 points)	Lower
Arnolds Park	4.0 mi	8.6% (±6.1 points)	Lower
Wahpeton	4.5 mi	20.7% (±10.2 points)	Lower
Milford	5.4 mi	29.9% (±7.1 points)	Not measurably different
West Okoboji	5.5 mi	42.6% (±12.1 points)	Not measurably different
Superior	8.4 mi	2.2% (±4.6 points)	Lower
Minneota Township	8.7 mi	1.9% (±3.1 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Orleans, IA (8.1%), Arnolds Park, IA (8.6%), Wahpeton, IA (20.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Dickinson County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	West Okoboji	42.6% (±12.1 points)
2 (tie)	Okoboji	32.5% (±13.2 points)
2 (tie)	Spirit Lake	32.5% (±5.7 points)
4	Milford	29.9% (±7.1 points)
5	Wahpeton	20.7% (±10.2 points)
6	Terril	14.2% (±8.6 points)
7	Lake Park	8.9% (±4.7 points)
8	Arnolds Park	8.6% (±6.1 points)
9	Orleans	8.1% (±7.4 points)

Showing 9 of 10 places in Dickinson County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Spirit Lake

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Questions about Spirit Lake

How many renters are there in Spirit Lake?

Spirit Lake has an estimated 884 (±175) renting households, 32.5% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Spirit Lake?

In Spirit Lake, the share of households that rent went from 28.1% in 2015–2019 to 32.5% in 2020–2024 (+4.4 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Spirit Lake?

A renting household in Spirit Lake has 1.5 people on average, against 2.2 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Spirit Lake?

The median renting household in Spirit Lake, IA has an income of $52,974 (±$13,379) a year, against $73,000 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Spirit Lake city, Iowa (place:74415, in state:19).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.