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Is Spirit Lake, IA a Good Place to Live?
Spirit Lake is a small town of 5,409 in Iowa, with a median household income of $70,248 and a 1.2% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 93 (US average = 100), which is 7% below the national average.
Strengths: Spirit Lake stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B+), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Spirit Lake is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Spirit Lake city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 92.7Spirit Lake's overall cost of living index is 92.7, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Spirit Lake costs roughly 7% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Spirit Lake, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $196,900 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $891 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 65.5% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $70,248 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageSpirit Lake's violent crime rate is 341.9 per 100,000 residents — 10% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Spirit Lake is served primarily by Spirit Lake Comm School District. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15.1:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Spirit Lake, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Spirit Lake Comm School District | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 15.1:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 35.2% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 97.2% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Spirit Lake sees average highs of 24.0°F in January and 82.8°F in July, with 29.1 inches of annual precipitation and 41.5 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Spirit Lake, IA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 24.0°F |
| Average High — July | 82.8°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 29.1" |
| Annual Snowfall | 41.5" |
Demographics
| Metric | Spirit Lake, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,409 | — |
| Median Age | 40.1 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 1.2% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 13.4 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 91.7% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.2% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 21.8% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 23.7% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake, IA is covered by 1 ZIP code: