Crystal LakeIA
A town of 240, settled in 1870.
Is Crystal Lake a good place to live?
Crystal Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
240 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Crystal Lake: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Crystal Lake, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Crystal Lake.
Crystal Lake’s typical home value is about $88K
Among households in Crystal Lake, 86% are owner-occupiers, above both Iowa’s towns (70%) and U.S. towns (73%). Values fell 6.1% in the year to September 2026. Its rent at the middle of the market comes in at $911 a month.
| Crystal Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $911 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Crystal Lake, the average trip to work runs longer than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
The top destinations are Britt (24%), Forest City (16%) and Garner (6%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 12 miles. Among residents in Crystal Lake, 13% live below the poverty line, against 11% in Iowa’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
| Crystal Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Crystal Lake has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Crystal Lake’s FEMA risk score stands at 28 of 100. Just over a quarter of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 25%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid once, in 2008.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in Crystal Lake brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Only 5 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower peak summer temperature than Crystal Lake. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 7° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Crystal Lake stands out in Iowa and nationally: a larger share of its adults had a checkup this year
Crystal Lake: just over two in five adults have obesity. Nearly two in five adults locally have high blood pressure; 29% get no exercise outside work.
| Crystal Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Crystal Lake | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.5% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 87% | 84.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.2% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.9% of the land in Crystal Lake is protected from building
2 parks and preserves cover 9 acres in Crystal Lake.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crystal Lake Park | — | 8 |
| 2. Crystal Lake Wildlife Management Area | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Crystal Lake
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Crystal Lake
About 5 of every 100 Crystal Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
100% of working residents leave Crystal Lake for work
Where Crystal Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Crystal Lake
City in Iowa, USA
Crystal Lake is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, United States. The population was 253 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,273 ft
- ZIP code
- 50432
Questions about Crystal Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Crystal Lake, IA a good place to live?
Crystal Lake has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.