Median Income
$86,250
household / year
Median Home Value
$170,000
owner-occupied
Median Rent
N/A
gross / month
Cost of Living
N/A
national avg = 100

Is Lester, IA a Good Place to Live?

Lester is a small town of 303 in Iowa, with a median household income of $86,250 .

Strengths: Lester stands out for below-average home prices, short average commutes.

Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Lester is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.

All Lester city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.

Cost of Living

Cost of living data is based on the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for the Lester metro area.

Metric Lester, IA National Avg
Median Home Value $170,000 $244,900
Median Monthly Rent N/A $1,163
Homeownership Rate 96.5% 65.9%
Median Household Income $86,250 $74,755

Crime & Safety

Very Safe

Lester's violent crime rate is 127.6 per 100,000 residents — 66% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.

Violent Crime
127.6 /100k
Property Crime
561.5 /100k

Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.

Schools & Education

Metric Lester, IA National Avg
School District N/A —
Elementary Schools N/A —
Middle Schools N/A —
High Schools N/A —
Student/Teacher Ratio N/A 16:1
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 17.8% 35.4%
High School Diploma or Higher 94.9% 91.1%

Weather & Climate

Lester sees average highs of 25.2°F in January and 84.7°F in July, with 29.3 inches of annual precipitation and 34.9 inches of snow per year.

MetricLester, IA
Average High — January25.2°F
Average High — July84.7°F
Annual Precipitation29.3"
Annual Snowfall34.9"

Demographics

MetricLester, IANational Avg
Population303—
Median Age38.738.9
Unemployment Rate0.0%3.7%
Avg Commute Time16.0 min26 min
White (non-Hispanic)85.1%59.3%
Black or African American0.0%13.6%
Hispanic or Latino13.2%18.9%
Asian0.7%6.3%
Under 1823.8%22.2%
65 and over21.8%16.8%

Nearby Cities

Larchwood, IA 5 mi Steen, MN 6 mi Hills, MN 6 mi Alvord, IA 7 mi Rock Rapids, IA 8 mi

ZIP Codes in Lester

Lester, IA is covered by 1 ZIP code:

51242

Lester vs Other Cities

Lester, IA vs Larchwood, IA Lester, IA vs Steen, MN Lester, IA vs Hills, MN Lester, IA vs Alvord, IA Lester, IA vs Rock Rapids, IA

Frequently Asked Questions

Lester has a median home value of $170,000 and median rent of N/A/month against a median household income of $86,250.
Lester's violent crime rate is 127.6 per 100,000 residents — the national average is ~380 per 100,000. Property crime is 561.5 per 100,000 (national avg ~2,100). Data from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
School district information is sourced from NCES Common Core of Data.
Lester, IA has a population of 303, a median household income of $86,250, and an unemployment rate of 0.0%. Whether it's right for you depends on your priorities — use the compare tool above to stack it against another city you're considering.
Lester averages 25.2°F in January and 84.7°F in July. Annual rainfall is 29.3 inches with about 34.9 inches of snow per year. Based on NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991–2020).
Lester, IA is covered by 1 ZIP code: 51242.
The population of Lester, Iowa is 303 with a median age of 38.7. Source: US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates.
Key numbers for living in Lester: median home $170,000, median household income $86,250, crime index 31 (100 = US average, lower is safer). Whether these are benefits or drawbacks depends on where you're coming from — compare Lester side by side with your current city to see the trade-offs.