Clear Lake, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

7,607

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

49.1

0.203% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

8.28%

13.2% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$79,415

13% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$259,500

Population & Diversity

Clear Lake, IA is home to a population of 7.61k people, from which 99.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.56% of Clear Lake, IA residents were born outside of the country (119 people).

In 2024, there were 54.2 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.21k people) in Clear Lake, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 133 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 121 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Clear Lake, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Clear Lake, IA was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Clear Lake, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Clear Lake, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.21k ± 147
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
133 ± 102
White (Hispanic)
121 ± 80

2.23%

Hispanic Population

170 people

2.23% of the people in Clear Lake, IA are hispanic (170 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Clear Lake, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

1.56%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

119 people

2.16%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

164 people

As of 2024, 1.56% of Clear Lake, IA residents (119 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Clear Lake, IA was 2.16%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Clear Lake, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
126 ± 59
Gulf War (1990s)
42 ± 38
Gulf War (2001-)
40 ± 48

Clear Lake, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Clear Lake, IA.

Economy

The economy of Clear Lake, IA employs 3.84k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Clear Lake, IA were Health Care & Social Assistance (618 people), Manufacturing (520 people), and Retail Trade (413 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($145,714), Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($113,929), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($112,987).

Employment

Occupations

3.84k

2024 Value

± 445

0.868%

1 Year growth

± 16.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clear Lake, IA grew at a rate of 0.868%, from 3.8k employees to 3.84k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Clear Lake, IA, are Management Occupations (637 people), Sales & Related Occupations (469 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (339 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Clear Lake, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

3.84k

2024 Value

± 445

0.868%

1 Year growth

± 16.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Clear Lake, IA grew at a rate of 0.868%, from 3.8k employees to 3.84k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Clear Lake, IA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (618 people), Manufacturing (520 people), and Retail Trade (413 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Clear Lake, IA, though some of these residents may live in Clear Lake, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,096

Median earning men ± $18,662

$47,188

Median earning women ± $5,596

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($114,448), Manufacturing ($84,375), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($84,306).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($95,294), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($51,875), and Wholesale Trade ($46,406).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Clear Lake, IA was $259,500 in 2024, which is 0.78 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $235,100 to $259,500, a 10.4% increase. The homeownership rate in Clear Lake, IA is 76.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Clear Lake, IA have an average commute time of 18.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Clear Lake, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$259,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$31,598

$2,685

Median Property Taxes

±$315

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Clear Lake, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Clear Lake, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

76.3%

Homeownership

2024

55.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.3% of the housing units in Clear Lake, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 74.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Clear Lake, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$79,415

Median Household Income

± $7,871

3.52k

Number of Households

± 374

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.52k households in Clear Lake, IA grew to $79,415 from the previous year's value of $70,278.

The following chart displays the households in Clear Lake, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Clear Lake, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (79.3%)
Worked At Home (10.2%)
Carpooled (6%)

In 2024, 79.3% of workers in Clear Lake, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (10.2%) and those who carpooled to work (6%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Clear Lake, IA have a shorter commute time (18.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Clear Lake, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Clear Lake, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Clear Lake, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Clear Lake, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.28% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Clear Lake, IA (624 out of 7.54k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 55 - 64, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Clear Lake, IA is White, followed by Two Or More and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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