Living in Dickens, IA
Dickens is a tiny town of 131 people in Clay County, Iowa. It's about 82 miles from Sioux City, IA and 154 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 42 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $99k and rent runs about $811 a month.
131people
$99kTypical home
$811/moRent
84° / 25°Summer / winter
42"Snow
240Sunny days
99Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 131
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 157 people per sq mi
- 154 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 82 mi to Sioux City, IA
- 7 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $99k (≈$626/mo)
- Median rent $811/mo
- Median household income $68k
- Property tax about 0.8% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 25°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
- 240 sunny days a year (85 totally clear)
- 125 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 99 days a year with rain or snow
- 42" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 51 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (73 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (644 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 55
- 23% of households have kids
- 23% are 65 or older
- 23% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 58 mi to FOD airport
- 131 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 138 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 76% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1971
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,342 ft
- 853 mi to the ocean
- 178 mi to a big lake
- 84 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 84 mi to the nearest ski area
- 6 mi to the nearest campground
- 14 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 51 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 9 bars within 25 mi
- 12 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 22 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 57 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 40% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 7 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 7 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 24 mi to the nearest vet
- 38 mi to the nearest dog park
- 12 congregations per 10k people
- 19 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Clay County: R+43 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- High flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.