50588 ZIP Code — Storm Lake, IA

Buena Vista County, Iowa

ZIP code 50588 is located in Storm Lake, Iowa, within Buena Vista County. It covers approximately 138.81 square miles and serves a population of 13,263 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 712.

About ZIP code 50588

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $161,800. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 63%.

The gap between median ($56,608) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. The poverty rate of 7% is below the national average.

The dominant occupation class is production, transportation, and material moving, with manufacturing as the leading industry. The average commute of 12 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 22% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 26% of households.

13,263

population

138.81

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

50588 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 50588

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 50588. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Storm Lake	Acceptable
Storm Lake	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

51002 Alta (7.9 mi) 50568 Newell (9.6 mi) 50576 Rembrandt (10.5 mi) 50510 Albert City (10.6 mi) 50567 Nemaha (10.8 mi) 51053 Schaller (12.9 mi) 50535 Early (13.6 mi) 51005 Aurelia (14.7 mi) 50565 Marathon (16.2 mi) 50583 Sac City (16.8 mi) 51020 Galva (17.1 mi) 51033 Linn Grove (17.8 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	13,263
Population density	96 / sq mi
State FIPS	19
County FIPS	021

Geography
Land area	138.81 sq mi
Water area	4.89 sq mi
Latitude	42.6552
Longitude	-95.1610
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	712

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	50.0%	47.2%	40.1%
$50k – $100k	29.9%	31.8%	33.4%
$100k – $200k	18.3%	18.4%	21.5%
Over $200k	1.8%	2.6%	5.0%

Demographics & statistics

13,263

Population

People per sq mi

32.0

Median age

$56,608

Median household income

$30,907

Per capita income

$161,800

Median home value

$787

Median monthly rent

63.0%

Home ownership

7.1%

Poverty rate

3.8%

Unemployment

3,313

Housing units

22.3%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

445

Under 5

436

515

5–9

504

484

10–14

474

638

15–19

626

581

20–24

569

846

25–34

829

832

35–44

816

613

45–54

600

459

55–59

450

270

60–64

265

571

65–74

559

248

75–84

244

196

85+

193

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	3,475	26.2%
18 and over	9,788	73.8%
65 and over	2,011	15.2%
Median age	32.0 years

Race & ethnicity

White 50.1%

Hispanic or Latino 15.7%

Asian 11.3%

Other race 9.1%

Two or more races 7.9%

Black or African American 3%

Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.6%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%

Group	Count	%
White	7,880	50.1%
Hispanic or Latino	2,476	15.7%
Asian	1,780	11.3%
Other race	1,435	9.1%
Two or more races	1,246	7.9%
Black or African American	468	3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	414	2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	40	0.3%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	50.0%	47.2%	40.1%
$50k – $100k	29.9%	31.8%	33.4%
$100k – $200k	18.3%	18.4%	21.5%
Over $200k	1.8%	2.6%	5.0%

Under $10k 1.7%

$10k–$15k 2.5%

$15k–$25k 8.7%

$25k–$35k 7.8%

$35k–$50k 18.0%

$50k–$75k 22.3%

$75k–$100k 11.2%

$100k–$150k 14.4%

$150k–$200k 8.4%

$200k+ 4.9%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	1.7%
$10k–$15k	2.5%
$15k–$25k	8.7%
$25k–$35k	7.8%
$35k–$50k	18.0%
$50k–$75k	22.3%
$75k–$100k	11.2%
$100k–$150k	14.4%
$150k–$200k	8.4%
$200k+	4.9%
Median income	$56,608

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 0.9%

$50k–$100k 14.6%

$100k–$150k 28.7%

$150k–$200k 15.7%

$200k–$300k 23.6%

$300k–$500k 11.3%

$500k–$1M 5.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$161,800
Median rent / month	$787
Owner occupied	63.0%
Renter occupied	37.0%
Vacant	6.8%
Single-family detached	64.5%
Large apartment buildings	4.7%
Mobile homes	1.7%
Median rooms	5.1
Avg household size (owned)	3.06

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.2%
2010–2019	10.2%
2000–2009	2.0%
1990–1999	6.1%
1980–1989	12.0%
1970–1979	19.0%
1960–1969	10.4%
1950–1959	12.2%
1940–1949	4.8%
1939 or earlier	23.0%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	4.8%
1 bedroom	15.8%
2 bedrooms	31.3%
3 bedrooms	31.1%
4 bedrooms	10.7%
5+ bedrooms	6.2%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.6%
1 vehicle	32.4%
2 vehicles	34.5%
3 or more	27.5%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	60.0%
Electricity	32.9%
Propane / LP gas	6.8%
No fuel used	0.3%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,078	44.1%
Cohabiting couple	526	11.2%
Male householder, no spouse	928	19.7%
Female householder, no spouse	1,182	25.1%
Households with children under 18	1,382	29.3%
Households with seniors (65+)	1,325	28.1%
Average household size	2.63

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	38.2%	32.2%
Married	44.9%	45.9%
Separated	4.3%	3.9%
Widowed	3.7%	9.8%
Divorced	8.9%	8.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 16.9%

Some HS, no diploma 10.8%

HS graduate 29.0%

Some college, no degree 12.2%

Associate's degree 8.8%

Bachelor's degree 13.9%

Graduate / professional 8.3%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	72.3%
Bachelor's or higher	22.3%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	262	6.9%
Kindergarten	198	5.2%
Elementary school	1,505	39.5%
High school	824	21.6%
College / grad school	1,019	26.8%

Employment

Industry of employment

Manufacturing 37.4%

Education & healthcare 19.8%

Retail trade 14.1%

Construction 5.5%

Arts, food & hospitality 4.4%

Professional & management 4.3%

Finance & real estate 3.4%

Other services 3.3%

Agriculture & mining 2.9%

Public administration 2.1%

Transportation & utilities 1.6%

Wholesale trade 0.8%

Information 0.4%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	20.9%
Service	11.9%
Sales & office	17.6%
Natural resources & construction	7.5%
Production & transportation	42.1%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	84.4%
Government	10.7%
Self-employed	4.6%
Unpaid family workers	0.2%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	62.5%
Carpool	22.0%
Public transit	0.5%
Walk	8.5%
Work from home	5.7%
Other means	0.8%
Avg commute (minutes)	12.1

Poverty

All people 7.1%

Under 18 years 5.2%

18 and over 7.8%

Married-couple families 2.4%

Female-led households 7.1%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	27.0%
Retirement income	15.9%
Supplemental Security	4.2%
Cash public assistance	2.5%
Food stamps / SNAP	9.1%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	31.9%
High blood pressure	30.7%
High cholesterol	31.2%
Diabetes	10.5%
Heart disease	6.5%
Stroke	3.2%
Asthma	9.3%
Arthritis	21.7%
Kidney disease	3.0%
Pulmonary disease	6.9%
Cancer	6.0%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	18.3%
Binge drinking	19.2%
No physical activity	30.1%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	30.6%
Depression	16.5%
Fair or poor health	16.5%
Poor mental health	14.3%
Poor physical health	10.5%
No health insurance	17.1%
Visited doctor (checkup)	74.0%
Visited dentist	60.1%
Cholesterol screening	84.0%
Teeth loss	18.6%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	251	2.6%

Disability	%
Any disability	8.8%
Under 18	4.2%
18–64 years	6.9%
65 and over	25.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	68.8%
Public insurance	37.9%
No insurance	6.5%
Uninsured under 19	2.4%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	12,382	93.4%
Spanish	3,193	25.8%
Other Indo-European	2,061	16.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Other languages	1,012	8.2%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	9,520	71.8%
Born in same state	9,291	70.1%
Born in different state	6,747	50.9%
Foreign born	229	1.7%
Naturalized citizen	3,743	28.2%
Not a US citizen	1,603	42.8%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	632	4.8%
French	448	3.4%
Polish	286	2.2%
Arab	183	1.4%

Ancestry	Count	%
English	141	1.1%
Dutch	126	1%
German	25	0.2%
Irish	11	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	35.5%
Internet access	95.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 50588

What city is ZIP code 50588 in?

ZIP code 50588 is primarily assigned to Storm Lake, Iowa.

What county is ZIP code 50588 in?

ZIP code 50588 falls within Buena Vista County, Iowa.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 50588?

Approximately 26% of households in ZIP code 50588 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 50588?

The median home value in ZIP code 50588 is $161,800.

What is the population of ZIP code 50588?

ZIP code 50588 has an estimated population of 13,263 residents, with a density of 96 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 50588?

The median household income in ZIP code 50588 is $56,608, below the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 50588 in?

ZIP code 50588 observes the CST timezone.