City profile · Iowa · Census ACS 2023

Clear Lake, IA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Clear Lake - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

7,603
Residents
$70,278
Median income
$235,100
Median home
$949
Median rent (state)

Clear Lake - the verdict

Nationally, Clear Lake sits in the 50th percentile for household income and the 35th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

50th
percentile, household income
52nd
percentile, home value
10th
percentile, median rent
35th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Clear Lake, IA

7,603 people live in Clear Lake, Iowa - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Clear Lake brings in $70,278 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 1.0%. Typical homes in Clear Lake are valued around $235,100, and the median resident age is 49.2 years. About 29.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 60.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

In 2024, 31 residential building permits were authorized in Clear Lake (Building Boom), up 72% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1884.3 incidents per 100,000 residents, near the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).

Living costs in Iowa run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Iowa at 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $949 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Iowa run around $212, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 69.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).

Population

7,603 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Iowa

Median Household Income

$70,278 /yr

Poverty 1.0%

Cost of Living Index (state)

87.8 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Iowa average

How does Clear Lake compare to other US cities?

Clear Lake measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 50% higher than other cities
Home value 52% pricier than other cities
Median rent 10% pricier than other cities
Safety 35% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Iowa alone, Clear Lake ranks #113 of 141 Iowa cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Clear Lake's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Iowa, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

50thIncome percentile
35thSafety percentile

50th percentile nationally for median household income · 35th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Clear Lake's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Clear Lake's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 51 Avg. percentile National median
Clear Lake's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Clear Lake's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$235,100 48th percentile more affordable than 48% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). This entry sits in this band. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Clear Lake $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Clear Lake, IA Clear Lake, IA's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Clear Lake, IA-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Clear Lake, IA median $70,278/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Clear Lake, IA's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Clear Lake, IA. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 29.7%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 1.0%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 60.2%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
7,603
Median Income
$70,278
Median Home Value
$235,100
Median Age
49.2
Poverty Rate
1.0%
Labor force participation
60.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.7%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1884.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
252.1
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1632.2
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Schools

Total Schools
3
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
7,500 residents7,550 residents7,600 residents7,650 residents7,700 residents 202020212022202320242025 7,661 residents 7,601 residents ▼ -0.8%
Clear Lake's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
31
housing units authorized
Single-Family
9
detached homes
Multifamily
22
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 18
2020 18
2021 14
2022 19
2023 11
2024 31

Permit volume increased 72% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
79.2%
Carpool
6.1%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
1.9%
Work from Home
11.0%
Other
1.2%

Based on 3,743 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Iowa - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$95
avg/month
Natural Gas
$75
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$212
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Iowa state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Iowa state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Clear Lake sits in

Cost of Living Index
87.8
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$949/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
69.6 / 100
Moderate
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Iowa

Decorah
7,597 people
Knoxville
7,493 people
Creston
7,466 people
Webster City
7,769 people
Charles City
7,321 people
Washington
7,314 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Clear Lake's 7,603 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Port Jefferson Station, NY
7,605 people
Hubbard, OH
7,600 people
Marshfield, MO
7,599 people
Hewlett, NY
7,599 people
Kenton, OH
7,607 people
Newberry, FL
7,608 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Clear Lake's $70,278 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Kivalina, AK
$70,278 median income
Braceville, IL
$70,278 median income
Hagaman, NY
$70,278 median income
Donnelsville, OH
$70,278 median income
Green Island, NY
$70,281 median income
Nice, CA
$70,274 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Clear Lake, IA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Clear Lake, IA - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 95.0% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.6% White 95.0% Black or African American 0.3% Asian 2.3% American Indian 0.1% Native Hawaiian 0.0% Some other race 1.1% Two or more races 1.2% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Clear Lake compares to nearby Iowa cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Clear Lake (this city) 7,603 $70,278
Decorah 7,597 $62,177
Knoxville 7,493 $70,136
Creston 7,466 $50,752
Census ACS 5-year FIPS IA FBI UCR NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Clear Lake, IA?

What is the population of Clear Lake, IA? +

Clear Lake, IA counts 7,603 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Clear Lake, IA? +

Clear Lake households earn a median of $70,278 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Clear Lake? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Clear Lake; the closest available measure is the Iowa state average, a cost of living index of 87.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Iowa vary by metro area.

Is Clear Lake, IA safe? +

Clear Lake has a total crime rate of 1884.3 per 100,000 residents, which is near the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Clear Lake, IA? +

A typical home in Clear Lake is worth $235,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.