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ZIP Code 50478, Iowa

ZIP Code 50478 profile, demographic data, and geographic information.

ZCTA5 50478 is a 5-digit ZIP Code area located in Winnebago County, Iowa. As of official census estimates, it has a reported population of 737. The land area covers 76.47 sq mi. [1]

Demographics & Population

Demographic Metric Estimate / Count Margin of Error Survey Period / Source
Total Population 737 ±169 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Median Age 46.8 yrs ±9.6 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Total Households 389 ±94 2020-2024 / Census ACS 5-Year 2024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (PEP, ACS 5-Year).

Housing & Real Estate Profile

Housing Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Total Housing Units 455 ±99
Occupied Housing Units 389 ±94
Vacant Housing Units 66 ±37
Median Home Value $93,200 ±$18,094
Median Gross Rent $752 ±$33
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Economy & Workforce

Economic Metric Estimate / Value Margin of Error
Median Household Income $48,750 ±$11,912
Per Capita Income $39,890 ±$7,353
Poverty Rate 6.1% ±3.4%
Population Below Poverty Level 45 ±27
Unemployment Rate 2.6% ±1.8%
Civilian Labor Force, Employed 406 ±123
Broadband Internet Rate 90.7% ±4.4%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2020-2024).

Local Government & Public Administration

Authoritative general-purpose local government units serving this area U.S. Census Bureau GUS (2026) / GMAF
Government Unit Unit Type Jurisdiction Role Contact / Address
GUS Population: 10,383 (2024)
ID: 104329
County Official County Government
Contact: FINANCE DEPUTY
126 S CLARK ST, FOREST CITY IA 50436

Education

Listing 10 local institutions (NCES 2024-2025) External reference via K12Guides
Institution Type Grades Location
Regular School Nearby PK-04 Forest City, IA
Regular School Nearby 09-12 Forest City, IA
Regular School Nearby 05-08 Forest City, IA
Regular School Nearby PK-05 Lake Mills, IA
Regular School Nearby 06-08 Lake Mills, IA
Regular School Nearby 09-12 Lake Mills, IA
Regular School Nearby PK-05 Buffalo Center, IA
Regular School Nearby 09-12 Buffalo Center, IA
Regular School Nearby 06-08 Buffalo Center, IA
5 Nearby 3-17 SCARVILLE, IA
Source: k12guides.com.

Community Facilities & Infrastructure

Displaying 10 civic institutions across 2 datasets queried CMS • IPEDS • IMLS
Facility Name Category Relationship Address / Location Contact
Waldorf University
College 12.3 mi away 106 S Sixth St, Forest City, IA, 50436-1713
6415852450
THOMPSON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 2.6 mi away 102 JACKSON ST N, THOMPSON, IA, 50478
(641) 584-2829
BUFFALO CENTER PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 8.3 mi away 221 N MAIN ST, BUFFALO CENTER, IA, 50424
(641) 562-2546
RAKE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 8.6 mi away 123 N MAIN ST, RAKE, IA, 50465
(641) 566-3388
FOREST CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 12.3 mi away 115 E L. ST, FOREST CITY, IA, 50436
(641) 585-4542
LAKE MILLS PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 12.6 mi away 102 S LAKE ST, LAKE MILLS, IA, 50450
(641) 592-0092
CRYSTAL LAKE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 12.7 mi away 225 S STATE AVE, CRYSTAL LAKE, IA, 50432
(641) 565-3325
WODEN PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 13.7 mi away 304 MAIN ST, WODEN, IA, 50484
(641) 926-5716
LAKOTA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 15.7 mi away 204 3RD ST, LAKOTA, IA, 50451
(515) 886-2312
ELMORE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Library 16.7 mi away 107 E. WILLIS STREET, ELMORE, MN, 56027
(507) 943-3150
Distances calculated from authoritative source coordinates. Source: CMS, IMLS, NCES IPEDS.

Climate & Weather Observations

NOAA Monthly Climate Normals

Observation Station: Climate data reflects NOAA 1991–2020 standard normals recorded at FOREST CITY 2 NNE, IA US, located 11.5 miles from ZCTA5 50478. Local microclimates, topography, and elevation may cause municipal conditions to differ.
Month High (°F) Low (°F) Mean (°F) Precip (in) Snow (in)
January 22.7° 5.6° 14.1° 1.15" —
February 27.1° 9.5° 18.3° 1.33" —
March 40.4° 22.5° 31.4° 1.94" —
April 56.3° 34.2° 45.2° 3.89" —
May 68.5° 47.2° 57.8° 4.83" —
June 78.1° 58.0° 68.0° 5.51" —
July 81.3° 61.5° 71.4° 4.60" —
August 79.0° 58.7° 68.9° 3.79" —
September 73.0° 50.0° 61.5° 3.46" —
October 59.5° 37.3° 48.4° 2.58" —
November 42.5° 24.3° 33.4° 1.61" —
December 28.5° 12.9° 20.7° 1.23" —
Source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020).

Local Weather Forecast

Weather forecast data is currently unavailable in the local cache.

Nearby Cities & Communities

Listing adjacent communities by spatial proximity (miles) Proximity discovery
Community Name Classification Distance Population
Thompson city City 2.6 mi —
Buffalo Center city City 8.1 mi —
Rake city City 8.5 mi —
Leland city City 9.2 mi —
Scarville city City 9.4 mi —
Kiester city City 9.6 mi —

Sources & Data Provenance

  1. Geographic Classification & Identifiers: U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer (2026) and TIGER/Line Shapefiles. GEOID: 50478. • Official Source Dataset →
  2. Socioeconomic & Housing Metrics: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates and Population Estimates Program (PEP). Margin of Error (MOE) intervals are reported where published; suppressed values are never estimated or replaced with false zeros.
  3. Civic Directory Datasets: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS Hospital Directory), National Center for Education Statistics (NCES IPEDS Postsecondary Directory), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS Public Libraries Survey). Airport landing facilities are provided by airport-data.com.
  4. Weather & Climate Observations: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 and National Weather Service (NWS) point forecasts.