The top destinations are Des Moines (28%), Indianola (13%) and West Des Moines (7%). Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Lacona. Jobs based locally fell to 16 in 2023, 125 fewer than in 2013. Half of commuters travel less than 31 miles.

1%work in town

	Lacona	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	32 minutes	19 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	0.6%	31%	8%

Where working residents work

In Lacona1%

Des Moines28%

Indianola13%

West Des Moines7%

Urbandale4%

31 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Lacona

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageLacona’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here16 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work1% work in Lacona Commute times32 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 31 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Housing

Homes in Lacona are worth about $301K, by Zillow’s estimate

The share of households in Lacona who live in a home they own is 86%, against 70% in Iowa’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. Home values are up 4.8% over the year to September 2026. Its going rate for rent stands at $950 a month.

$301KZillow home value

	Lacona	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	86%	70%	73%
Median rent	$950 a month	$911 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Lacona$301K

Iowa$237K

+4.8%

value change, 1 year

homes sold in May

Full pageLacona’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 4.8% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 4.3 years of income Rents$950 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Lacona

Expect July afternoons of 86° and January nights of 13°, with about 24 inches of snow a winter.

24″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter17–35°

Spring39–61°

Summer62–84°

Fall41–63°

Oct 5

typical first frost

May 5

typical last frost

+0.4°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageLacona’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 86°, January lows 13°Rain & snow24″ of snow a winter · 37 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.4° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

Lacona faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by drought

Federal disaster aid has reached households in Lacona after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2015. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage locally than in 63% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Lacona break down as 41% from drought and 31% from inland flooding.

37risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

DroughtInland floodingTornadoes

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageLacona’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesLow risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters3 federal disasters · Paid out in Lacona Get ready7.5 events a year, on average · Ready for drought

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health

How healthy Lacona is

Lacona: 39% of adults have obesity. The share of adults in Lacona who binge drink is 22%, above both the Iowa town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%). Among adults locally, 15% say their health is fair or poor and 10% have diabetes.

	Lacona	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	22%	20%	16%
Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES)	15%	18%	19%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	10%	12%	12%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	12%	13%	14%

32 measures vs. Iowa

4 better28 too close to call0 worse

What stands out	Lacona	IA
Fewer adults facing food insecurity	8.7%	12%
Fewer adults without reliable transportation	5.2%	6.8%

Lucas County Health Center

11.9 mi away · emergency room

None

primary care, dental or mental-health shortage

Full pageLacona’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby11.9 miles to an ER · Lucas County Health Center How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than IA on 4 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Outdoors

0% of Lacona is conserved land

0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.

0%conserved

conserved · 0 of 211 acres

0.0 mi

of trails · 0 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Lacona Community Park	—	2

Full pageLacona’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map0.0 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk2 acres · Lacona Community Park Conserved land0% conserved · 0 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Lacona?”

Nearby attractions

Casey's Center and 12 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lacona. Close and well known come first.

All 19 attractions →

30 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center

30 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol 33 mi Theme parkAdventureland

26 mi Zoo & aquariumBlank Park Zoo

31 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center

32 mi Stadium & arenaDrake Stadium

Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons

Photo credits

Casey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Blank Park Zoo: Lawrence Lansing, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Lacona

17pages on Lacona

The big questions

HealthBetter than IA on 4 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$301K typical home · up 4.8% in a year Work & commute$70K median household income · 16 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities · drought

Out and about

Outdoors0 mi of trails · 0% conserved land PlacesAttractions19 nearby · Buxton Park Arboretum 15 mi Library1.3 library visits per resident Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1855 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 172 residents Climate86° summer highs · 24″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 50139 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Lacona; the nearest are

Simpson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Indianola15.3 mi$47,656 tuition Des Moines Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ankeny37.6 mi$5,790 in-state tuition Iowa State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Ames59.4 mi$10,787 in-state tuition

About 3 of every 100 Lacona residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Lacona for work

Where Lacona’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

16jobs based in Lacona

1%of working residents work in town

31 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Lacona

City in Iowa, USA

Lacona is a city in Warren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 345 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 0.4 sq mi
Elevation: 869 ft
ZIP code: 50139

Questions about Lacona

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Lacona, IA a good place to live?

Lacona has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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LaconaIA

Is Lacona a good place to live?

344 people, and everyone knows the way

Moving to Lacona: who provides what

The data

In Lacona, the average trip to work runs longer than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town