Lake Panorama Iowa Catholic Youth Camp, 2025
Lake Panorama’s story
Lake Panorama in pictures
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Lake PanoramaIA
The town, home to 928 people, lies in Iowa.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Mostly Iowa Edits · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
928
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$389K
Census ACS
Household income
$127K
median
Median age
55.9
years
Jobs based here
149
A commuter town
Is Lake Panorama a good place to live?
35% of residents are 65 or older in Lake Panorama, against 19% in Iowa’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher age of the median resident than Lake Panorama. Lake Panorama has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
928 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
PanoraLake Panorama
Getting set up
Moving to Lake Panorama: who provides what
Lake Panorama is unincorporated, so Guthrie County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterLake Panorama Water CompanyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesGuthrie CountyGuthrie County provides services here
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 hereGuthrie County AuditorGuthrie County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5021650216 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 Panorama.
Work & commute
The average trip to work in Lake Panorama is longer than in most of Iowa or the rest of the country
Most working residents leave Lake Panorama for work: only 3% work in town. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 3 have a higher middle household income than Lake Panorama. Jobs locally fell by 84 from 2013 to 2023, to 149. 4.8% of residents live below the poverty line locally.
3%work in town
| Lake Panorama | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $127,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Lake Panorama3%
Panora16%
Guthrie Center7%
West Des Moines5%
Perry4%
26 mi
median commute distance
149
jobs based in Lake Panorama
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Lake Panorama has four seasons and pleasant summers
Expect July afternoons of 85° and January nights of 11°, with about 33 inches of snow a winter.
33″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–33°
Spring38–61°
Summer61–83°
Fall39–62°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 2
typical last frost
+0.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: high risk in Lake Panorama, mostly inland flooding
FEMA puts 37% of Lake Panorama’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 24% to tornadoes. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.
61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
A larger share of adults in Lake Panorama have high blood pressure than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
Among adults in Lake Panorama, 14% report frequent mental distress. Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Lake Panorama. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Lake Panorama is ahead of Iowa on 12 and behind on 7.
| Lake Panorama | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
12 better13 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Lake Panorama | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.4% | 9.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5% | 7.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.1% | 8.7% |
Guthrie County Hospital
5.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The median home in Lake Panorama sells for about $794K
For households in Lake Panorama, the share who are owner-occupiers is 96%. A home in Lake Panorama typically sold within 38 days of listing.
$794Kmedian sale price
Market temperature
38
days on market
95.7%
sale-to-list price
6
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
0% of Lake Panorama is conserved land
4.6 miles of trail. For Lake Panorama, the trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 5,278 acres
4.6 mi
of trails · 0.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lake Panorama
16pages on Lake Panorama
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lake Panorama; the nearest are
Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical CenterUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · West Des Moines32.8 miDes Moines Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ankeny40.9 mi$5,790 in-state tuitionIowa State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Ames44.2 mi$10,787 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Lake Panorama residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
97% of working residents leave Lake Panorama for work
Where Lake Panorama’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
149jobs based in Lake Panorama
3%of working residents work in town
26 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Lake Panorama
Census-designated place in Iowa, United States
Lake Panorama is a census-designated place located in Cass Township and Victory Township in Guthrie County, Iowa, United States. In the 2020 census the population was 1266. It is located in east-central Guthrie County and is bordered to the southeast by the city of Panora. The CDP is a residential community on both sides of Lake Panorama, a reservoir constructed on the Middle Raccoon River. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Lake Panorama CDP has a total area of 8.3 square miles (21.5 km2), of which 6.6 square miles (17.1 km2) are land, and 1.7 square miles (4.3 km2), or 20.19%, are within Lake Panorama, the water body.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,100 ft
Questions about Lake Panorama
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lake Panorama, IA a good place to live?
Lake Panorama has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.