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Palo Alto
Iowa

Population

$67K

Median Income

$174K

Median Home

R+37

Politics

Economy

Median Household Income$67K

This county

national avg ~$75K

Poverty Rate11.2%

This county

national avg ~11.5%

Unemployment Rate2.5%

This county

national avg ~3.8%

GDP per Capita$80,428

Federal Spending per Capita$1,953

Median Individual Earnings$39K

This county

national avg $45K

Professional/Management Workers29.9%

Average Adjusted Gross Income$71K

Avg Credit Score722

Work From Home %6.2%

This county

national avg 17.0%

Population Under 1823.8%

This county

national avg 22.0%

Single-Person Households34.9%

This county

national avg 28.0%

Banks & Finance Firms8

Income (20th Percentile)$28K

Income (80th Percentile)$118K

Income (95th Percentile)$202K

Bachelor's Degree or Higher22.3%

This county

national avg 35.0%

Less Than High School7.0%

This county

national avg 11.0%

Knowledge Economy GDP %3.0%

Dependency Ratio1.25

Medicare Spending / Person$3,569

SS Benefits / Person$4,616

Education Wage Premium2.14x

Median Earnings (Bachelor's)$53K

Median Earnings (Graduate)$79K

Median Earnings (HS Diploma)$37K

Public Assistance Recipients4.1%

Average Annual Wage$47K

Professional Services Concentration0.18x national

This county

1.0 = national average share

Housing

Median Home Value$169K

This county

$215K state avg

$303K national

Market Rent (ZORI)$631/mo

This county

$1050/mo state avg

$1400/mo national

Property Tax Rate1.25%

This county

1.42% state avg

1.10% national

Annual tax on median home: $1,464

Affordability & Supply

HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR)$919/mo

Home Price Change (1 yr)+12.7%

Home Value to Income Ratio1.4x income

Severely Cost-Burdened Households5.5%

Homeownership Rate76.1%

This county

national avg ~65%

Market Activity

Listings with Price Cuts— Low — market moving fast

14.3%

Active Listings

New Listings / Month

Source: Zillow Research · Updated monthly

Days on Market (Redfin)— Slow — buyers have leverage

115 days

Months of Supply (Redfin)— Balanced market

5.4 mo

Sold Above List (Redfin)

0.0%

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

94.9%

Source: Redfin · Updated monthly

Health

Life Expectancy76.5 yrs

This county

national avg ~78.5 years

Food Insecurity7.6%

This county

national avg ~11%

Food Environment Index8.5 / 10

This county

higher = better access

Primary Care Shortage Score13

This county

national avg 5

Mental Health Shortage Score17

Dental Care Shortage Score15

Healthcare Shortage Score15.0

Healthcare Offices12

Obesity Rate (BRFSS)40.6%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Smoking Rate (BRFSS)15.9%

This county

national avg 14.0%

Poor Health Rate (BRFSS)16.7%

This county

national avg 18.0%

Physical Inactivity (BRFSS)23.9%

This county

national avg 24.0%

High Blood Pressure (BRFSS)30.9%

This county

national avg 32.0%

Active Physicians5

Nursing Home Rating3.2 / 5

This county

national avg ~3 stars

ER Visits per 1,000 Medicare Patients553 / 1,000

Medicare Cost per Beneficiary$11,213

Uninsured (under 65)5.9%

This county

national avg ~10%

Adults with Depression21.5%

Education

Math Test Scores3.32 grade level

Reading Test Scores3.25 grade level

HS Diploma Holders1,544

Bachelor's Degree Holders851

HS Completion Rate93.0%

This county

national avg ~85%

Safety

Violent Crime Rate3.0 / 1,000

This county

national avg ~4.0

Social Vulnerability (CDC SVI)14th pct

Drug Overdose Deaths (2024)7.5 / 100K

Climate & Air Quality

Natural Amenity Scale-2.3

January Sunshine0.53

January Temperature-1.50

Average Temp48°F

Avg High Temp59°F

Avg Low Temp37°F

Median AQIAQI 46

Good Air Days211 days/yr

Unhealthy Air Days18 days/yr

Annual Precipitation28.9 in/yr

Avg Storm Events7.4 storms/yr

Avg Annual Storm Damage$137K

Ozone Days133 days/yr

This county

national avg 50 days/yr

Drought Index (2022)-0.79

Heating Degree Days6,995 HDD/yr

This county

national avg ~4,500 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days873 CDD/yr

This county

national avg ~1,200 CDD/yr

Heating Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)7,834 HDD/yr

Cooling Degree Days (1901–2000 Baseline)692 CDD/yr

Avg Tornadoes / Year0.8

Avg Flood Events / Year1.2

Avg Hail Events / Year3.0

Avg Hurricane Events / Year0.00

Avg Wildfire Events / Year0.0

Avg Winter Storms / Year0.0

Avg Heat Events / Year0.0

Natural Hazard Risk (FEMA)47 / 100

Community Resilience (FEMA)89 / 100

Federal Disaster Declarations23 since 1953

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

This county

EPA standard 9 µg/m³

Outdoor & Recreation

Historic Places (NRHP)4 properties

FAA-Registered Airports2 total

Airports (excl. heliports)1 airports

Internet & Remote Work

Download Speed193 Mbps

This county

national avg ~120 Mbps

Upload Speed59 Mbps

Fixed Internet (Q1 2026)423 Mbps

Mobile Internet (Q1 2026)80 Mbps

Mobile Upload (Q1 2026)22 Mbps

Mobile Latency (Q1 2026)37 ms

Households with 100Mbps+92.2%

This county

national avg 75.0%

Cellular-Only Internet13.2%

This county

national avg 8.0%

Fixed Upload Speed (Q1 2026)47 Mbps

EV Infrastructure

EV Charging Stations1 stations

DC Fast Chargers4 chargers

Level 2 EV Chargers0

Commute & Transit

Remote Workers271 workers

Public Transit Commuters31 workers

Walk to Work122 workers

Extreme Commutes (90+ min)76 workers

Avg Commute Time16.2 min

This county

national avg ~27 min

Bike Commuters0.7%

Walk to Work2.8%

Families & Childcare

Childcare Cost Burden26.3%

This county

national median ~27% of household income

Childcare Centers8.8 per 10K residents

Childcare Facilities3

Civic & Community

Voter Turnout73.2%

This county

national avg ~55%

Volunteering Rate1.0%

Income Inequality (Gini)4.245

Nonprofit Organizations96

Veterans Share7.6%

This county

national avg 7.0%

Married Adults51.8%

Never-Married Adults26.2%

Divorced Adults12.4%

Religious Organizations17

Asian Population0.6%

Membership Associations19.1 per 10K residents

Lifestyle & Services

Full-Service Restaurants1.13 per 1K residents

Nursing & Care Facilities10

Grocery Stores4

Hotels & Lodging5

Recreation Businesses3

Professional Services Firms11

Real Estate Firms4

Debt Burden

Avg Mortgage Balance$94K

Avg Student Loan Balance$10K

Avg Credit Card Balance$5K

Loan Delinquency Rate28.2%

This county

national avg 4.0%

Innovation

Inventor Rate0.30%

Politics

R+37

2024 Presidential · Iowa was R+13 statewide

vs Iowa State

Income tax

3.8%Same (state law)

Property tax

1.25%1.42% state avg

Politics

R+37R+13

COL Index

County data88 (state)

Population & Migration

Net Domestic Migration 2023

↑ +41

More people arriving than leaving

IRS Wealth Migration

Lower-income migration pattern (IRS: 0.72x avg income)

Economic Mobility

54%

chance a low-income child reaches the middle class

Source: Opportunity Insights

Real Estate

Find Homes in Palo Alto County

Median home value: $174K

View on Zillow →View on Realtor.com →

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Local News — Palo Alto

KEYC News Now · 1 month ago

Summer Fair Tour: Palo Alto County, Iowa

Summer Fair Tour: Palo Alto County, Iowa ... Trees, cool people and air conditioned restrooms are ju…

USAFacts · Apr 6, 2026

How many people live in Palo Alto County, IA?

How many people live in Palo Alto County, IA ? ... In 2025, there were about 8,900 people living in …

Northwest Iowa Now · Dec 18, 2025

Routine Traffic Investigation Turns Violent in Palo Alto County

During the investigation, the driver, identified as 74-year-old Barbara Lowman of Graettinger, alleg…

KCCI · Apr 17, 2026

Tornado causes damage in northern Iowa

An EF-2 tornado with 120 mph winds left a path of destruction in Graettinger. ... The National Weath…

KTIV · Nov 25, 2025

Iowa woman dies, 3 other people injured after crash in Palo Alto County

Iowa woman dies, 3 other people injured after crash in Palo Alto County. Published: Nov. 25, 2025 at…

Farm Progress · 1 month ago

Surge of Iowa farmland sales likely later this year

Land Values: Tight sales volume that has ruled land markets during the past two years may loosen thi…

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

Palo AltoIowa

Palo Alto
Iowa