IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Clear Lake, IA
Clear Lake is a big small town of 7,607 people in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It's about 68 miles from Waterloo, IA and 126 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 24°F, with about 44 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $260k and rent runs about $808 a month.
7,607people
$260kTypical home
$808/moRent
82° / 24°Summer / winter
44"Snow
231Sunny days
115Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 7,607
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 706 people per sq mi
- 126 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 68 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 9 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $260k (≈$1,636/mo)
- Median rent $808/mo
- Median household income $79k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 82°F
- Winter highs around 24°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 231 sunny days a year (77 totally clear)
- 134 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 115 days a year with rain or snow
- 44" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 49 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (160 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,450 per 100k)
People
- Median age 49
- 18% of households have kids
- 27% are 65 or older
- 30% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 3 mi to MCW airport
- 112 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 126 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 69% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1974
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,240 ft
- 796 mi to the ocean
- 175 mi to a big lake
- 58 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 76 mi to the nearest ski area
- 2 mi to the nearest campground
- 15 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 58 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 5 bars within 25 mi
- 22 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 17 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 43 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 18% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 9 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 36 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 24 mi to the nearest vet
- Dog park in town
- 10 congregations per 10k people
- 16 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Cerro Gordo County: R+12 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk