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Buena Vista
Iowa

21K

Population

$63K

Median Income

$191K

Median Home

R+26

Politics

Economy

Median Household Income$63K

This county

national avg ~$75K

Poverty Rate10.2%

This county

national avg ~11.5%

Unemployment Rate2.3%

This county

national avg ~3.8%

GDP per Capita$87,127

Federal Spending per Capita$114

Median Individual Earnings$41K

This county

national avg $45K

Professional/Management Workers24.8%

Average Adjusted Gross Income$68K

Avg Credit Score718

Work From Home %6.0%

This county

national avg 17.0%

Population Under 1826.3%

This county

national avg 22.0%

Single-Person Households31.1%

This county

national avg 28.0%

Banks & Finance Firms13

Income (20th Percentile)$35K

Income (80th Percentile)$123K

Income (95th Percentile)$201K

Bachelor's Degree or Higher19.1%

This county

national avg 35.0%

Less Than High School20.7%

This county

national avg 11.0%

Knowledge Economy GDP %3.8%

Dependency Ratio1.23

Medicare Spending / Person$2,652

SS Benefits / Person$3,281

Education Wage Premium1.84x

Median Earnings (Bachelor's)$56K

Median Earnings (Graduate)$67K

Median Earnings (HS Diploma)$37K

Public Assistance Recipients2.9%

Average Annual Wage$54K

Professional Services Concentration0.31x national

This county

1.0 = national average share

Housing

Median Home Value$188K

This county

$215K state avg

$303K national

Market Rent (ZORI)$781/mo

This county

$1050/mo state avg

$1400/mo national

Property Tax Rate1.29%

This county

1.42% state avg

1.10% national

Annual tax on median home: $1,786

Affordability & Supply

HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR)$1,010/mo

Home Price Change (1 yr)+7.3%

Home Value to Income Ratio1.6x income

Severely Cost-Burdened Households6.5%

Homeownership Rate70.0%

This county

national avg ~65%

Market Activity

Listings with Price Cuts— Low — market moving fast

17.8%

Active Listings

New Listings / Month

Source: Zillow Research · Updated monthly

Days on Market (Redfin)— Average pace

40 days

Months of Supply (Redfin)— Low inventory — sellers market

2.9 mo

Sold Above List (Redfin)

10.5%

Sale-to-List Ratio (Redfin)— Buyers market — homes selling below list

96.3%

Source: Redfin · Updated monthly

Health

Life Expectancy80.0 yrs

This county

national avg ~78.5 years

Hospital Rating2.0 / 5

This county

national avg 3.0 stars

Food Insecurity6.1%

This county

national avg ~11%

Food Environment Index9.0 / 10

This county

higher = better access

Primary Care Shortage Score18

This county

national avg 5

Mental Health Shortage Score16

Dental Care Shortage Score15

Healthcare Shortage Score16.3

Healthcare Offices33

Obesity Rate (BRFSS)38.9%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Smoking Rate (BRFSS)16.2%

This county

national avg 14.0%

Poor Health Rate (BRFSS)22.1%

This county

national avg 18.0%

Physical Inactivity (BRFSS)29.7%

This county

national avg 24.0%

High Blood Pressure (BRFSS)31.6%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Active Physicians17

Nursing Home Rating4.0 / 5

This county

national avg ~3 stars

ER Visits per 1,000 Medicare Patients477 / 1,000

Medicare Cost per Beneficiary$10,737

Uninsured (under 65)10.2%

This county

national avg ~10%

Adults with Depression18.3%

Education

Math Test Scores2.98 grade level

Reading Test Scores2.91 grade level

HS Diploma Holders3,838

Bachelor's Degree Holders1,391

HS Completion Rate79.3%

This county

national avg ~85%

Private Schools4

Safety

Violent Crime Rate3.1 / 1,000

This county

national avg ~4.0

Traffic Fatalities3

Social Vulnerability (CDC SVI)63th pct

Drug Overdose Deaths (2024)0.0 / 100K

Climate & Air Quality

Natural Amenity Scale-2.4

January Sunshine0.53

January Temperature-1.37

Average Temp49°F

Avg High Temp59°F

Avg Low Temp38°F

Annual Precipitation31.2 in/yr

Avg Storm Events8.4 storms/yr

Avg Annual Storm Damage$440K

Drought Index (2022)-1.14

Heating Degree Days6,856 HDD/yr

This county

national avg ~4,500 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days914 CDD/yr

This county

national avg ~1,200 CDD/yr

Heating Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)7,649 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)737 CDD/yr

Avg Tornadoes / Year1.4

Avg Flood Events / Year2.0

Avg Hail Events / Year2.8

Avg Hurricane Events / Year0.00

Avg Wildfire Events / Year0.0

Avg Winter Storms / Year0.0

Avg Heat Events / Year0.0

Natural Hazard Risk (FEMA)50 / 100

Community Resilience (FEMA)61 / 100

Federal Disaster Declarations22 since 1953

Fine Particulate Pollution (PM2.5)7.1 µg/m³

This county

EPA standard 9 µg/m³

Outdoor & Recreation

Historic Places (NRHP)10 properties

FAA-Registered Airports1 total

Airports (excl. heliports)1 airports

Internet & Remote Work

Download Speed199 Mbps

This county

national avg ~120 Mbps

Upload Speed34 Mbps

Fixed Internet (Q1 2026)278 Mbps

Mobile Internet (Q1 2026)362 Mbps

Mobile Upload (Q1 2026)43 Mbps

Mobile Latency (Q1 2026)35 ms

Households with 100Mbps+76.9%

This county

national avg 75.0%

Cellular-Only Internet20.5%

This county

national avg 8.0%

Fixed Upload Speed (Q1 2026)42 Mbps

EV Infrastructure

EV Charging Stations1 stations

DC Fast Chargers4 chargers

Level 2 EV Chargers0

Commute & Transit

Remote Workers611 workers

Public Transit Commuters33 workers

Walk to Work642 workers

Extreme Commutes (90+ min)130 workers

Avg Commute Time14.0 min

This county

national avg ~27 min

Bike Commuters0.3%

Walk to Work6.3%

Agriculture

Farms774 farms

Farmland951 acres

Families & Childcare

Childcare Cost Burden26.1%

This county

national median ~27% of household income

Childcare Centers6.7 per 10K residents

Childcare Facilities3

Civic & Community

Voter Turnout67.1%

This county

national avg ~55%

Volunteering Rate1.0%

Income Inequality (Gini)3.528

Nonprofit Organizations119

Veterans Share4.2%

This county

national avg 7.0%

Married Adults51.7%

Never-Married Adults31.8%

Divorced Adults9.8%

Religious Organizations28

Asian Population10.3%

Native American Population0.2%

Membership Associations17.3 per 10K residents

Lifestyle & Services

Full-Service Restaurants0.66 per 1K residents

Colleges & Universities1

Nursing & Care Facilities6

Grocery Stores5

Hotels & Lodging5

Recreation Businesses7

Professional Services Firms32

Veterinary Practices3

Real Estate Firms12

Museums3

Debt Burden

Avg Mortgage Balance$93K

Avg Student Loan Balance$11K

Avg Credit Card Balance$5K

Loan Delinquency Rate29.6%

This county

national avg 4.0%

Innovation

Inventor Rate0.24%

Politics

R+26

2024 Presidential · Iowa was R+13 statewide

vs Iowa State

Income tax

3.8%Same (state law)

Property tax

1.29%1.42% state avg

Politics

R+26R+13

COL Index

County data88 (state)

Population & Migration

Net Domestic Migration 2023

↓ -323

More people leaving than arriving

IRS Wealth Migration

Lower-income migration pattern (IRS: 0.67x avg income)

Economic Mobility

48%

chance a low-income child reaches the middle class

Source: Opportunity Insights

Real Estate

Find Homes in Buena Vista County

Median home value: $191K

View on Zillow →View on Realtor.com →

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Local News — Buena Vista

Storm Lake Radio · 27‏/03‏/2026

Buena Vista County Supervisors Advance N‑14, Business 71 Rebuilds

The board of supervisors on Wednesday approved plans and title sheets for the reconstruction of Coun…

Northwest Iowa Now · 10‏/04‏/2026

BV Conservation Board Changes Course, Marina Open to Private Development

Storm Lake, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) — The Buena Vista County Conservation Board has established …

Saint John's University Athletics · 26‏/02‏/2026

Johnnies Usher in New Era with Three-Game Buena Vista Series

SJU baseball opens its 2026 season with a trio of neutral-site games against Buena Vista (Iowa) this…

KSOM · 21‏/06‏/2026

Buena Vista County Crash Claims One Life

The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 9:10 a.m. on 480th Street east of M54. Au…

USAFacts · 07‏/07‏/2026

Is Buena Vista County, IA's population growing or shrinking?

It shrank by 206 between 2024 and 2025. Changes in population reflect birth and death rates, immigra…

Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network | · 05‏/03‏/2026

HPAI detected in a multi-species backyard flock in Buena Vista County

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agricult…

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Data: Census ACS, BLS, Zillow, USDA Natural Amenities, OpenElections 2024, CMS, NCES. Vintage 2022–2025. News via Google News.

Buena VistaIowa

Buena Vista
Iowa