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Spirit Lake, IA
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
5,518
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
40.4
years ∙ half population younger than 40.4, half older
Diversity Index
18.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
1.6%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Spirit Lake is a city within Dickinson County, Iowa, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC43.416659° N, 95.113071° W
DMS43° 24′ 59.97″ N, 95° 06′ 47.06″ W
Population Density & area
1,221/sq mi
(471.2/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
50.8%
male
Male
50.8%
Female
49.2%
males per 100 females
Spirit Lake
103.4
Dickinson County
101.3
Iowa
100.6
Nativity
1.6%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Spirit Lake
1.6%
Dickinson County
1.2%
Iowa
5.9%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
40.4
years ∙ half population younger than 40.4, half older
Dependency ratio
71.2
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Spirit Lake
71.2
Dickinson County
89.7
Iowa
69.6
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 19.5% | 19.1% | 22.9% |
| Working age (18-64) | 58.4% | 52.7% | 59% |
| Senior (65+) | 22.1% | 28.2% | 18.1% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 71.2 | 89.7 | 69.6 |
| Child dependency ratio | 33.4 | 36.2 | 38.8 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 37.7 | 53.6 | 30.7 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
18.8%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Spirit Lake
18.8%
Dickinson County
12.6%
Iowa
31.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Spirit Lake population
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 3.7% | 2.9% | 7.3% |
| Mexican | 3.6% | 2.1% | 5% |
| Puerto Rican | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 0% | 0.4% | 1.8% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 96.3% | 97.1% | 92.7% |
| One race | 90% | 93.9% | 89.2% |
| White | 89.8% | 93.4% | 82.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.1% | 0% | 3.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Asian | 0.2% | 0.5% | 2.5% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0.2% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 0% | 0.3% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 6.3% | 3.2% | 3.5% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
47.8%
family
Family
47.8%
Non family
52.2%
% family households
Spirit Lake
47.8%
Dickinson County
58.8%
Iowa
61.6%
Average household size
1.97
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Spirit Lake population
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 2,716 | 8,845 | 1,315,707 |
| Average houshold size | 1.97 | 2 | 2.36 |
| Family households | 1,299 | 5,198 | 809,836 |
| Average family size | 2.75 | 2.53 | 2.98 |
| Married couple family | 1,155 | 4,584 | 635,347 |
| Other families | 144 | 614 | 174,489 |
| Male householder | 79 | 204 | 56,457 |
| Female householder | 65 | 410 | 118,032 |
| Non-family households | 1,417 | 3,647 | 505,871 |
| One-person households | 1,208 | 2,898 | 406,436 |
| Male householder | 639 | 1,459 | 193,582 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 143 | 453 | 58,028 |
| Female householder | 569 | 1,439 | 212,854 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 347 | 875 | 111,645 |
| Other living arrangements | 209 | 749 | 99,435 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
2,881
housing units
Spirit Lake
2,881
Dickinson County
14,206
Iowa
1,437,699
Occupancy status
94.3%
occupied
Occupied
94.3%
Vacant
5.7%
vacancy rate
Spirit Lake
5.7%
Dickinson County
37.7%
Iowa
8.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
74.4%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1978
Half of houses were built before 1978, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 |
| 1–3 rooms | 16.1% | 13% | 11.8% |
| 4–6 rooms | 49.2% | 48.3% | 47.4% |
| 7+ rooms | 34.6% | 38.8% | 40.7% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 4.2% | 1.2% | 1.7% |
| 1 bedroom | 10.5% | 6% | 9.2% |
| 2 bedrooms | 26.5% | 28.2% | 27% |
| 3 bedrooms | 33.8% | 36.2% | 37.3% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 25% | 28.5% | 24.7% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1978 | 1978 | 1972 |
| Total housing units | 2,881 | 14,206 | 1,437,699 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
67.5%
owners
Renter-occupied
32.5%
Owner-occupied
67.5%
homeownership rate
Spirit Lake
67.5%
Dickinson County
77.5%
Iowa
71.7%
Average household size
2.2
Owner-occupied
1.49
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Spirit Lake
2.2
Dickinson County
2.14
Iowa
2.5
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 2,716 | 8,845 | 1,315,707 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 30.4% | 23.2% | 24.3% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 40.9% | 41.7% | 38.7% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 11.4% | 14.8% | 16.4% |
| 1999 or earlier | 17.3% | 20.3% | 20.7% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 100% | 99.5% | 98.4% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 0% | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 8.4% | 4.4% | 5.4% |
| 1 vehicle | 32.3% | 25.9% | 30.5% |
| 2 vehicles | 39.3% | 42.5% | 37.8% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 20% | 27.2% | 26.3% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 73.1% | 72.3% | 72.8% |
| Electricity | 26.1% | 26% | 24.4% |
| Solar | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| All other fuels | 0% | 1.1% | 1.8% |
| No fuel used | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 2% | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 3.4% | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| No telephone service available | 2.4% | 0.9% | 0.8% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$215,100
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
25.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $215,100 | $270,700 | $208,000 |
| Under $100,000 | 9% | 12.7% | 17.8% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 36.9% | 20.2% | 30% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 22.6% | 22.7% | 23.1% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 23.6% | 20.1% | 21.3% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 4.1% | 18.9% | 6.8% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 3.8% | 5.4% | 1.1% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 58.8% | 53.9% | 59.4% |
| Without a mortgage | 41.2% | 46.1% | 40.6% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,429 | $1,529 | $1,533 |
| Without a mortgage | $564 | $714 | $616 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $911 | $922 | $972 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
26.8%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Spirit Lake
26.8%
Dickinson County
31.2%
Iowa
31.4%
Adults without a high school diploma
5.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Spirit Lake
5.7%
Dickinson County
3.1%
Iowa
6.7%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
682
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
0.7%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 682 | 2,831 | 784,322 |
| Nursery / preschool | 5% | 4.7% | 6.2% |
| K–12 | 89% | 84.9% | 68.4% |
| Kindergarten | 10.9% | 8.8% | 5.2% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 19.2% | 21.9% | 20.3% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 36.4% | 29.2% | 21.3% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 22.6% | 24.9% | 21.6% |
| College or graduate school | 6% | 10.4% | 25.4% |
| College, undergraduate | 5.1% | 7.7% | 20.8% |
| Graduate, professional school | 0.9% | 2.7% | 4.6% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 0.7% | 8.9% | 42.3% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 82.4% | 90.8% | 84.4% |
| Private school | 17.6% | 9.2% | 15.6% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
3,742
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 3,742 | 13,520 | 2,154,149 |
| Less than 9th grade | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2.7% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 5.2% | 2.4% | 4% |
| High school diploma or GED | 35.1% | 28.7% | 30% |
| Some college, no degree | 22.1% | 23.8% | 19.7% |
| Associate's degree | 10.3% | 13.3% | 12.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.8% | 31.2% | 31.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 19.5% | 22.6% | 20.9% |
| Graduate or professional | 7.3% | 8.6% | 10.5% |
| High School or higher | 94.3% | 96.9% | 93.3% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$50,371
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
5.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| Spirit Lake | Dickinson County | Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $50,371 | $47,768 | $51,106 |
| Less than high school graduate | $53,013 | $47,895 | $35,996 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $36,159 | $36,814 | $41,528 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $50,103 | $48,160 | $47,635 |
| Bachelor's degree | $51,825 | $51,060 | $62,744 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $98,472 | $90,192 | $80,022 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 8.6% | 13.1% | 21.5% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 9.9% | 11.2% | 12.4% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 7.4% | 6.7% | 8.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 5.4% | 3.6% | 3.8% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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