Storm Lake, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

11,428

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

30.9

0.962% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

6.98%

9.78% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$62,765

7.58% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$172,200

Population & Diversity

Storm Lake, IA is home to a population of 11.4k people, from which 80.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 30.3% of Storm Lake, IA residents were born outside of the country (3.47k people).

In 2024, there were 2.05 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.78k people) in Storm Lake, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.84k Other (Hispanic) and 1.52k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

80.1%

2024 Citizenship

81%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 80.1% of Storm Lake, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Storm Lake, IA was 81%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Storm Lake, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
3.78k ± 318
Other (Hispanic)
1.84k ± 570
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
1.52k ± 503

43.5%

Hispanic Population

4.97k people

43.5% of the people in Storm Lake, IA are hispanic (4.97k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Storm 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

30.3%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.47k people

31.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3.56k people

As of 2024, 30.3% of Storm Lake, IA residents (3.47k 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 Storm Lake, IA was 31.5%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
60 ± 50
Korea
59 ± 52
Gulf War (2001-)
13 ± 34

Storm Lake, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.02 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Storm Lake, IA employs 5.76k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Storm Lake, IA were Manufacturing (2,439 people), Retail Trade (674 people), and Educational Services (652 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($85,046), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($65,625), and Public Administration ($63,505).

Employment

Occupations

5.76k

2024 Value

± 616

3.17%

1 Year growth

± 14%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Storm Lake, IA grew at a rate of 3.17%, from 5.59k employees to 5.76k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Storm Lake, IA, are Production Occupations (1,928 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (518 people), and Material Moving Occupations (479 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Storm 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

5.76k

2024 Value

± 616

3.17%

1 Year growth

± 14%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Storm Lake, IA grew at a rate of 3.17%, from 5.59k employees to 5.76k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Storm Lake, IA, are Manufacturing (2,439 people), Retail Trade (674 people), and Educational Services (652 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Storm Lake, IA, though some of these residents may live in Storm Lake, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,161

Median earning men ± $4,816

$40,103

Median earning women ± $6,626

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($117,778), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($85,046), and Public Administration ($83,553).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($88,064), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($66,099), and Public Administration ($62,574).

Education

The student population of Storm Lake, IA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 609 male students and 1,281 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Storm Lake, IA are White (650 and 82.6%), Hispanic or Latino (74 and 9.4%), Black or African American (22 and 2.8%), and Unknown (17 and 2.16%).

The largest universities in Storm Lake, IA by number of degrees awarded are Buena Vista University (788 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Storm Lake, IA are Elementary Education & Teaching (92 and 11.7%), Curriculum & Instruction (80 and 10.2%), and School Counseling & Guidance Services (60 and 7.61%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $41,798.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Storm Lake, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 20.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 1,890 (32.2% men and 67.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 1,890 students enrolled in Storm Lake, IA, 32.2% men and 67.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,518 records, of which 68.6% were women and 31.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Elementary Education & Teaching
92 degrees awarded
General Human Services
58 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
51 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Storm Lake, IA was Elementary Education & Teaching with 92 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Storm Lake, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Buena Vista University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

788 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Buena Vista University with 788 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 196 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Storm Lake, IA, which is 0.331 times less than the 592 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 650 degrees mean that there were 8.78 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 74 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($41,798) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,132) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Storm Lake, IA was $172,200 in 2024, which is 0.518 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $163,600 to $172,200, a 5.26% increase. The homeownership rate in Storm Lake, IA is 66.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Storm Lake, IA have an average commute time of 10.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Storm Lake, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$172,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,988

$2,636

Median Property Taxes

±$421

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 Storm Lake, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

66.3%

Homeownership

2024

61.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 66.3% of the housing units in Storm Lake, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 64.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Storm 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.

$62,765

Median Household Income

± $16,358

3.98k

Number of Households

± 527

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.98k households in Storm Lake, IA grew to $62,765 from the previous year's value of $58,341.

The following chart displays the households in Storm 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 $50k - $60k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Storm 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 (68%)
Carpooled (20.1%)
Walked (6.09%)

In 2024, 68% of workers in Storm Lake, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (20.1%) and those who walked to work (6.09%).

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

10.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Storm Lake, IA have a shorter commute time (10.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.26% of the workforce in Storm Lake, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Storm 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 Storm Lake, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Storm Lake, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

6.98% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Storm Lake, IA (745 out of 10.7k 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 Males 35 - 44, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Storm Lake, IA is Hispanic, followed by White and Asian.

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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