Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Spencer gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $199K for a typical one, or 3 years of the Spencer area’s $65K median household income. It grades B overall, 76th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, it has 10 miles of trail. 54% of working residents work locally in Spencer, above both Iowa’s towns (31%) and U.S. towns (8%). Spencer has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Little Sioux River Bridge and Grand Avenue Historic Commercial District. Spencer is more walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Spencer beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
8.2% of the town is conserved land, across 15 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Spencer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 824 in 1880, 11,325 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spencer, 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Spencer.
Spencer is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Iowa (mostly inland flooding).
Spencer’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Oneota Little Sioux Access Park, 140 acres with 1.5 miles of trail.
| Spencer | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.2% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. River View Park | 1.8 mi | 61 |
| 2. Oneota Little Sioux Access Park | 1.5 mi | 140 |
| 3. East Leach Park | 0.8 mi | 61 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Spencer Community School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 514 | A− |
| Spencer High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 688 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 100% of Iowa towns, with expected losses of about $755 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Of the 140 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher FEMA risk score than Spencer. Since 1979, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spencer.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Spencer has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 7° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average trip to work in Spencer is 16 minutes. The top destinations are Spirit Lake (5%), Sioux City (3%) and Milford (3%). 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Spencer.
| Spencer | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Spencer home is worth about $199,000, up 3.6% in a year, 16% below the Iowa typical home.
| Spencer | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $805 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. 22% of Spencer residents are 65 or older. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Spencer | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.4 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 25% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 23% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.3 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.1, men 39.0.
| Spencer | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.6% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.8% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.4% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.8% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 8,822 U.S. towns with household incomes like Spencer’s, it is healthier than 79%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Spencer beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
| Spencer | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Spencer | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.9% | 3.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Spencer; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Spencer residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
13 notable people were born in Spencer.
City in Iowa, United States
Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Clay County. It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers. The population was 11,325 in the 2020 census, an increase from 11,317 in 2000. Spencer hosts the Clay County Fair, held annually in September and averaging more than 300,000 visitors. The town's late library cat, Dewey Readmore Books, became known throughout the world before his death in 2006. He was immortalized in the book Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron, director of the library, and Bret Witter.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Spencer grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #76 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health, B for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
13 notable people were born here, including Vicki Myron and Robin Thede.
