Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
46% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town. A town settled in 1856, now home to 5,525 people.
Trash day: look up yoursSchools are its strong suit: its public schools beat nearly three quarters of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. Homes run about $338K for a typical one, 4.5 times the Spirit Lake area’s $75K median household income. The drawback is safety (C+) — its police reported 9 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 61% of U.S. towns. Overall, that makes a B+, good for 68th of 140 in Iowa. It comes out better than nearly two thirds of U.S. towns. This Iowa town has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Spirit Lake Public Library and Antlers Hotel. The town is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for health, B− for incomes and B− for hazard risk.
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · health, CDC PLACES · FEMA National Risk Index · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Spirit Lake beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake Elementary School | PK–4 | 547 |
| Spirit Lake Middle School | 5–8 | 379 |
| Spirit Lake High School | 9–12 | 393 |
4,840 counted in 2010 and 5,439 in 2020; an estimated 5,525 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Spirit Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 76 in 1870, 5,439 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1883 and 2 maps from 1970 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spirit 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Spirit Lake.
Spirit Lake draws workers from Estherville and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4,184 jobs are based in Spirit Lake, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.4 minutes, against 19.8 across Iowa.
In Spirit Lake, 6.3% of residents live below the poverty line, below both the Iowa town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). For working residents in the town, the share who work locally is 38%. Half of commuters travel less than 5 miles. The town’s average trip to work comes in at 13 minutes.
| Spirit Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 38% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 6.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The largest public high school is Spirit Lake High School, with 393 students. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Spirit Lake Community School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 547 | B |
| Spirit Lake High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 393 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Zillow values the typical Spirit Lake home at about $338,000, up 1.5% in a year, 43% above the Iowa typical home. Homes sold in Spirit Lake spent a median 53 days on the market. Sellers in Spirit Lake got 96.5% of the asking price, typically.
| Spirit Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $911 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The property crime rate for Spirit Lake comes to 11.5 per 1,000 residents, against 7.2 in Iowa’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. The violent offense rate for Spirit Lake comes to 1.6 per 1,000 residents, above Iowa’s towns (1.5) and close to U.S. towns (1.6).
| Spirit Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,049 U.S. towns with household incomes like Spirit Lake’s, it is healthier than 78%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Iowa is tooth loss: 6.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.6% statewide.
Of 32 CDC measures, Spirit Lake beats the Iowa average on 1 and trails it on 1. In Spirit Lake, nearly a fifth of adults binge drink.
| Spirit Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Spirit Lake | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 11.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Here, 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 31% in Iowa as a whole. By age, Spirit Lake looks like Iowa: each broad group is within 4 points. Among residents locally, 20% are under 18.
| Spirit Lake | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Spirit Lake | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.7% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.1% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.3% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.5% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.3% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Households in Spirit Lake have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. On expected storm and flood damage, Spirit Lake sits below 53% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Spirit Lake break down as 50% from inland flooding and 23% from tornadoes. One claim on flood insurance has been paid out locally since 2024.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
There are 0.2 miles of trail across 9 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. East Okoboji Slough Wildlife Management Area | — | 19 |
| 2. Memorial Park | — | 6 |
| 3. East Okoboji Access | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Spirit Lake
About 1 of every 100 Spirit Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Spirit Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Spirit Lake on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Spirit Lake.
City in Iowa, United States
Spirit Lake is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,439 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dickinson County. The town is located along the western shore of East Okoboji Lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Spirit Lake.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Lake | #68 | B+ | B | C+ | B+ | B |
| Orleans | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Okoboji | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Orleans and Okoboji aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Spirit Lake with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Spirit Lake grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #68 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Berkley Bedell and Harry E. Narey.
