Iowa›Calhoun County

Twin LakesIA

In Iowa, this town has 579 residents.

Population

579

Census survey, 2020–24

Is Twin Lakes a good place to live?

Twin Lakes’ median age is 58.4 years, where Iowa’s towns sit at 38.7 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 2 have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Twin Lakes. 63% of the land in Twin Lakes is conserved, above both Iowa’s towns (3.1%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is South Twin Lake Wildlife Management Area, at 100 acres. Twin Lakes has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

579 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Jolley · 5 mi Pomeroy · 5 mi Manson · 6 mi Rockwell City · 6 mi Knierim · 9 mi Palmer · 10 mi

Getting set up

Moving to Twin Lakes: who provides what

Twin Lakes is unincorporated, so Calhoun County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterTwin Lakes UtilitiesNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA

Internet4 providers97% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC

Trash & county servicesCalhoun CountyCalhoun County provides services here

SchoolsSouth Central Calhoun Community School District Manson Northwest Webster Community School District Pocahontas Area Community School District3 districts serve Twin Lakes; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES

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.gov

Who runs elections hereCalhoun County AuditorCalhoun County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2026

ZIP codes50563, 5057950563 65% · 50579 35%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 Twin Lakes.

Outdoors

Conservation land takes up nearly a third of Twin Lakes

In 7 parks and preserves, walkers have 0.3 miles of trail. For Twin Lakes, the concentration of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile.

62.9%conserved

62.9%

conserved · 1,128 of 1,793 acres

0.3 mi

of trails · 0.1 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. South Twin Lake Wildlife Management Area	—	100
2. Featherstone Memorial County Park	—	47
3. East Twin Lakes State Park	0.1 mi	15

Full pageTwin Lakes’ outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Trail map0.3 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk0.1 miles of trail · East Twin Lakes State Park Conserved land62.9% conserved · 1,128 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Twin Lakes?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Work & commute

Twin Lakes stands out in Iowa and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally

Among 141 Iowa towns, just 4 have a higher typical journey to work than Twin Lakes. For Twin Lakes, the median household income is $110,000. The top destinations are Fort Dodge (20%), Manson (16%) and Rockwell City (6%).

2%work in town

	Twin Lakes	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	1.8%	31%	8%
Median household income	$110,000	$69,000	$80,000
Below the poverty line	4%	11%	9.6%
Average trip to work	26 minutes	19 minutes	25 minutes

Where working residents work

In Twin Lakes2%

Fort Dodge20%

Manson16%

Rockwell City6%

Pocahontas3%

22 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Twin Lakes

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageTwin Lakes’ work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

The jobs here6 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work2% work in Twin Lakes Commute times26 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 22 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Natural hazards

Top of a low hazard risk in Twin Lakes: tornadoes

The natural-hazard score from FEMA in Twin Lakes is 32 of 100. FEMA puts 28% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to tornadoes, and 21% to drought. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities.

32risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

TornadoesDroughtInland flooding

Full pageTwin Lakes’ hazards pageOpen the full Hazards page

What it facesLow risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters16 disaster declarations · Declared for the county Get ready0.1 events a year, on average · Ready for tornadoes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Four seasons and pleasant summers in Twin Lakes

A winter brings about 32 inches of snow, with January nights at 9° and July afternoons at 83°.

32″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter13–30°

Spring37–58°

Summer60–82°

Fall39–61°

Oct 10

typical first frost

Apr 26

typical last frost

+0.7°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageTwin Lakes’ climate pageOpen the full Climate page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 9°Rain & snow32″ of snow a winter · 33 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.7° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

A smaller share of adults in Twin Lakes report frequent mental distress than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town

18% of Twin Lakes adults have been diagnosed with depression. No town among the 141 in Iowa we compare has a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Twin Lakes. Against the Iowa average, Twin Lakes comes out ahead on 14 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 8. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Twin Lakes.

	Twin Lakes	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	45%	35%	35%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)	12%	16%	17%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	27%	32%	33%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	84%	78%	79%