US 69 in Lake Mills, IA 001, 2012
Lake Mills’s story
159 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1867Lake Mills is settled
Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,050
2025 Census estimate · −4.5% since 2020
Typical home
$172K
+8.2% in a year
Household income
$62K
median
Median age
46.2
years
Jobs based here
1,166
Balanced
Is Lake Mills a good place to live?
The best of Lake Mills’ subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for civic life. Among 138 Iowa towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Lake Mills. The biggest park or preserve is Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area, at 24 acres. Lake Mills has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lake Mills stand out
Where Lake Mills beats most towns.
Typical home value
Lake Mills$172K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA+
2.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 96% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Lake Mills Comm School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Mills Elementary School | PK–5 | 303 |
| Lake Mills Middle School | 6–8 | 146 |
| Lake Mills Senior High School | 9–12 | 193 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
How Lake Mills grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Lake Mills is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →SchoolsA−Open →Jobs & income$62K median household incomeC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.9 of 20; 8.5% of households have no car; 1.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →HealthMayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin 18.1 miles awayBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 45% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trail; 5% conserved landBOpen →History4 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life6.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateCold winters, 81° summer afternoons, 38″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 46.2; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lake Mills: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lake Mills, and how to reach them.
PowerInterstate Power and Light17.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Mills Municipal Water Dept-SouthNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpBy addressDay by addressTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWinnebago County AuditorWinnebago County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5045050450 100%Census 2020
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 Lake Mills.
SchoolsA−
On state tests, Lake Mills’ schools beat 76% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Lake Mills Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
76%of IA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mills Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 303 | B+ |
| Lake Mills Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 193 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A+
Lake Mills’ typical home value is about $172K
The typical Lake Mills home is worth about $172,000, up 8.2% in a year, 27% below the Iowa typical home. 63% of households own their home in Lake Mills, where Iowa’s towns sit at 70% and U.S. towns at 73%.
$172KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lake Mills$172K
Iowa$237K
+8.2%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
In Lake Mills, a typical July afternoon runs cooler than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
At 81°F, Lake Mills’ July high is against 84°F in Iowa’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Lake Mills has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–26°
Spring35–55°
Summer59–79°
Fall37–58°
Oct 7
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 1.2 jobs for every working resident, Lake Mills draws in 921 commuters
About one in 4 of Lake Mills’s working residents works in town. Lake Mills’ average trip to work is 15 minutes. Jobs based in Lake Mills fell to 1,166 in 2023, 217 fewer than in 2013.
25%work in town
| Lake Mills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Lake Mills25%
Forest City21%
Mason City5%
Des Moines2%
Clear Lake2%
13 mi
median commute distance
1,166
jobs based in Lake Mills
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 42% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthB
Residents of Lake Mills are healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
Lake Mills beats the Iowa average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of Lake Mills adults sleep under 7 hours. Only 10 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Lake Mills.
57%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Lake Mills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
3 better24 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Lake Mills | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 71.5% | 66.8% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.9% | 8.7% |
Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin
18.1 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsB
Lake Mills has set aside 4.7% of its land for conservation
0.8 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
4.7%conserved
| Lake Mills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
4.7%
conserved · 82 of 1,742 acres
0.8 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rice Lake Wildlife Management Area | — | 24 |
| 2. Wood Duck Marsh Wildlife Management Area | — | 17 |
| 3. Oakwood Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Drought leads a moderate hazard risk in Lake Mills
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
45risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingCold waves
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Mills
19pages on Lake Mills
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Lake Mills
About 1 of every 100 Lake Mills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Famous people from Lake Mills
4 notable people were born in Lake Mills.
About Lake Mills
City in Iowa, USA
Lake Mills is a city in Winnebago County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,143 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,289 ft
- ZIP code
- 50450
- Area code
- 641
Questions about Lake Mills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Mills, IA expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
What is Lake Mills, IA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Wallace Stegner and Selmer Jackson.