IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Storm Lake, IA
Storm Lake is a big small town of 11,428 people in Buena Vista County, Iowa. It's about 62 miles from Sioux City, IA and 187 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 26°F, with about 36 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $172k and rent runs about $898 a month.
11,428people
$172kTypical home
$898/moRent
82° / 26°Summer / winter
36"Snow
239Sunny days
99Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 11,428
- Its own small hub, not a suburb
- About 2,106 people per sq mi
- 187 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 62 mi to Sioux City, IA
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $172k (≈$1,086/mo)
- Median rent $898/mo
- Median household income $63k
- Property tax about 1.4% of value
- 4.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 82°F
- Winter highs around 26°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 61°F)
- 239 sunny days a year (85 totally clear)
- 126 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 99 days a year with rain or snow
- 36" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 46 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (226 per 100k)
- Low property crime (1,262 per 100k)
People
- Median age 31
- 33% of households have kids
- 13% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Very diverse community
- 8% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 12 min
- 7% walk or take transit to work
- 52 mi to FOD airport
- 99 mi to OMA (major hub)
- 103 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 71% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1968
- 95% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,431 ft
- 878 mi to the ocean
- 172 mi to a big lake
- 73 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 76 mi to the nearest ski area
- 11 mi to the nearest campground
- 14 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 23 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 7 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 16 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 46 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 1% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 2 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 35 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 40 mi to the nearest vet
- 19 mi to the nearest dog park
- 13 congregations per 10k people
- College in town
Politics
- Buena Vista County: R+33 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
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk