Housing data for Storm Lake, IA
Storm Lake, IA has an estimated 11,428 residents and 4,198 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Buena Vista County.
33.7% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $898 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+8.2%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 11,428 (±49)
- Housing units
- 4,198 (±142)
- Households that rent
- 33.7%
- Median gross rent
- $898
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +8.2%
What stands out in Storm Lake
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 19.2% (±6.1 points) in Storm Lake, higher than in Buena Vista County (11.8%).
Median real estate taxes: $2,482 (±$329) in Storm Lake, higher than in Buena Vista County ($1,931).
Average commute: 10.1 minutes (±1.2) in Storm Lake, lower than in Buena Vista County (14.0 minutes).
Housing in Storm Lake at a glance
- Median rent: $898 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $944 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 28.9% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 33.7% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $62,765 median household income
- Home values: $172,200 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,373 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $2,482 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 19.2% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 49.4% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 68.3% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 7.8% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 61.8% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 10.1 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 247 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +8.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 25.0% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 5.7% of homes have more than 1 person per room
Storm Lake against Buena Vista County, its state and the nation
| Storm Lake | Buena Vista County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 11,428 (±49) | 20,753 (exact) | 3,210,507 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 4,198 (±142) | 8,293 (±31) | 1,437,699 (±523) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 33.7% (±6.0 points) | 26.8% (±3.5 points) | 28.3% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $898 (±$64) | $894 (±$53) | $972 (±$6) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $62,765 (±$16,358) | $71,719 (±$7,936) | $75,059 (±$418) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $172,200 (±$17,988) | $159,500 (±$10,332) | $208,000 (±$1,141) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $2,482 (±$329) | $1,931 (±$136) | $2,897 (±$13) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 68.3% (±10.3 points) | 74.0% (±6.2 points) | 61.5% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 10.1 minutes (±1.2) | 14.0 minutes (±0.9) | 19.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.1% (±2.9 points) | 92.1% (±1.9 points) | 88.9% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 30.9 years (±1.2) | 35.6 years (±0.4) | 38.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Storm Lake covers 5.4 square miles of land, about 2,106 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Storm Lake has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,558 (±39) | 11,428 (±49) | +8.2% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 3,935 (±160) | 4,198 (±142) | +6.7% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $695 (±$52) | $898 (±$64) | +29.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $121,300 (±$13,712) | $172,200 (±$17,988) | +42.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $50,565 (±$5,712) | $62,765 (±$16,358) | +24.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,111 (±$117) | $1,373 (±$168) | +23.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,258 (±$267) | $2,482 (±$329) | +9.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 48.3% (±4.8 points) | 33.7% (±6.0 points) | −14.6 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 8.3% (±5.6 points) | 7.8% (±6.6 points) | −0.5 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
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.
Crime reported to police in Storm Lake
In 2025, the Storm Lake Police Department reported 247 violent and 1,331 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Buena Vista County, the departments that report recorded 208 violent and 864 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
Places near Storm Lake
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside | 2.0 mi | $1,206 | $246,400 | 19.0% |
| Alta | 5.8 mi | $894 | $146,600 | 21.7% |
| Truesdale | 6.0 mi | $1,102 | $35,800 | 56.6% |
| Newell | 10 mi | $825 | $122,600 | 27.5% |
| Nemaha | 10 mi | — | $63,300 | 37.5% |
| Schaller | 11 mi | $756 | $71,500 | 13.8% |
| Rembrandt | 13 mi | $675 | $85,800 | 22.8% |
| Early | 13 mi | $620 | $90,300 | 31.3% |
Places in Iowa most like Storm Lake
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grinnell | $895 | $209,500 | $65,320 | 35.4% |
| Algona | $885 | $160,800 | $56,040 | 31.1% |
| Rock Rapids | $812 | $206,700 | $63,942 | 28.7% |
| Dubuque | $948 | $204,800 | $65,845 | 34.2% |
| Mount Pleasant | $826 | $160,900 | $61,042 | 36.3% |
| Spencer | $805 | $184,800 | $59,667 | 31.9% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Iowa.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Storm Lake, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $781 | $788 | $1,031 | $1,284 | $1,355 |
HUD income limits for Storm Lake, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,350 | $33,950 | $54,250 |
| 2 people | $23,250 | $38,800 | $62,000 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $43,650 | $69,750 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $48,450 | $77,500 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $52,350 | $83,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $56,250 | $89,900 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $60,100 | $96,100 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $64,000 | $102,300 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Buena Vista County, IA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $96,900.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Storm Lake
What is the average rent in Storm Lake, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Storm Lake is $898 (±$64) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Storm Lake?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Storm Lake, IA is $820 (±$119) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Storm Lake rent-burdened?
28.9% of renting households in Storm Lake pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Storm Lake?
Storm Lake has an estimated 1,339 (±260) renting households, 33.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Storm Lake?
The median household income in Storm Lake is $62,765 (±$16,358) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Storm Lake, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $172,200 (±$17,988) for owner-occupied homes in Storm Lake (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Storm Lake growing?
In Storm Lake, the number of residents went from 10,558 in 2015–2019 to 11,428 in 2020–2024 (+8.2%), a measurable increase.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Storm Lake city, Iowa
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Buena Vista County, IA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Buena Vista County, IA
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Storm Lake Police Department (ORI IA0110100)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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) for Storm Lake city, Iowa (place:75630, in state:19).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
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.
Figures last updated on .