IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Spencer, IA
Spencer is a big small town of 11,400 people in Clay County, Iowa. It's about 77 miles from Sioux City, IA and 157 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 43 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $185k and rent runs about $805 a month.
11,400people
$185kTypical home
$805/moRent
84° / 25°Summer / winter
43"Snow
240Sunny days
100Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 11,400
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 1,041 people per sq mi
- 157 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 77 mi to Sioux City, IA
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $185k (≈$1,165/mo)
- Median rent $805/mo
- Median household income $60k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 4.0% 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
- 100 days a year with rain or snow
- 43" of snow a year
- 14 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 (93 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (839 per 100k)
People
- Median age 41
- 22% of households have kids
- 22% are 65 or older
- 30% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 17 min
- 4% walk or take transit to work
- 64 mi to FOD airport
- 133 mi to OMA (major hub)
- 137 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 69% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1972
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,312 ft
- 857 mi to the ocean
- 171 mi to a big lake
- 78 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 82 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 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
- 19 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 60 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 40% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 1 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 17 mi to the nearest vet
- 34 mi to the nearest dog park
- 12 congregations per 10k people
- 16 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