Buena Vista County, Iowa
Population 20,753 · Storm Lake, Alta, Newell
- Overall cost of living: −15.9% vs the US average, lower than 87% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- On-time high school graduation: 67.8%, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−15.9% | lower than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Iowa outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $159,500 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Median rent | $894 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $145/mo | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,054/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.21% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,931 | higher than 62% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $71,719 | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | -3.6% | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 428 | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈213 days | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 83°F | lower than 75% of US counties |
| January low | 9°F | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈36 in | higher than 76% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Galva, IA, 17 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 10 days | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 151 days | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 15.7% of weeks | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈60.8°F | lower than 64% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 31.8 in | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $98/yr | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $58/yr | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.33/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $28/yr | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.08/yr | lower than 72% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.2 µg/m³ | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 311.1 mi | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈271.7 ft | lower than 74% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 81.3% | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 22.2% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.5% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.6:1 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 67.8% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.83 | lower than 80% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.41 | lower than 70% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.64 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 4.2 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 49/100k | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 5 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2★ | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 80.2 yrs | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 10.6% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 77/100k | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 68/100k | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 79.6% | higher than 76% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 73 min | higher than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 134 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 14 min | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 92.1% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.6% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 5.6% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 144 min | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 30 per sq mi | higher than 60% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.1 per 1k | higher than 71% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 8.6 per 1k | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Population | 20,753 | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Median age | 35.6 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -16.1 per 1k/yr | lower than 97% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 32.8% Dem | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 66% Rep | lower than 59% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.2% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % White | 52.1% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 29.4% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Black | 3.3% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| % Asian | 9.5% | higher than 98% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 2.9% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 2.4% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 46 parks | lower than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 11.1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.8 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 8 min | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.9% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 53 km | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 52% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 4 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 8 km | lower than 50% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data