City · Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

Clear Lake, Iowa

Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, part of the Mason City, IA metro area. It has 7,607 residents. Clear Lake, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,730 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #83 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), mammography screening (high) and gyms and fitness centers (high). It ranks worst on math scores (low), distance to an airport (high) and hospital quality rating (low).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,730 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #83 of 281 in IA
Population: 7,607 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 705.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1914025

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety52#7,498/15,637
Economy59#6,411/15,631
Housing91#1,290/14,977
Health56#6,900/15,609
Healthcare89#1,780/15,650
Environment91#1,368/15,453
Education59#6,421/15,649
Infrastructure59#6,488/15,650
Community96#616/15,651
Leisure & amenities97#486/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clear Lake, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Cerro Gordo County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high170 /100k
99/100Iowa 74 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCerro Gordo County value
Mammography screening · high61.0%
99/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCerro Gordo County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.4 /10k
96/100Iowa 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCerro Gordo County value
Rent-burdened households · low32.5%
95/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Social associations · high16.5 /10k
95/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCerro Gordo County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Iowa 2.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCerro Gordo County value

Weaknesses

Math scores · low2.47
3/100Iowa 3.03United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCerro Gordo County value
Distance to an airport · high113 mi
7/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCerro Gordo County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCerro Gordo County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high102 mi
9/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCerro Gordo County value
Job growth · low-2.3%
11/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataCerro Gordo County value
Property crime rate · high1,972 /100k
15/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCerro Gordo County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
1.8 /1k (2021) → 4.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+131%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.4% (2015-2019) → 89.0% (2020-2024)
+9.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
41.1% (2015-2019) → 32.5% (2020-2024)
−8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$57,841 (2015-2019) → $79,415 (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
92.8% (2015-2019) → 97.9% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.7× (2015-2019) → 3.3× (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Clear Lake, Iowa improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+37%$57,841 → $79,415
Broadband+9.6 points79.4% → 89.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Clear Lake, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.4 min2015-2019	18.6 min2020-2024	+2.2 min	Within the margin of error	26%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.7%2015-2019	30.5%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	79.4%2015-2019	89.0%2020-2024	+9.6 points	Improved	58%
Effective property tax rate	1.26%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	38%
High school diploma or higher	92.8%2015-2019	97.9%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	43%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5102015-2019	0.5252020-2024	+0.014	Within the margin of error	38%
Median household income	$57,8412015-2019	$79,4152020-2024	+37%	Improved	69%
Poverty rate	6.7%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent as share of income	25.5%2015-2019	23.8%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Rent-burdened households	41.1%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	−8.7 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.3%2015-2019	3.3%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	68%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Clear Lake, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clear Lake, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Clear Lake, Iowa itself moved +3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,607 residents (±20)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,519 households (±182)

Clear Lake, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k12%†439
$25k–50k21%744
$50k–75k14%497

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,519 households (±182)

Clear Lake, Iowa
Iowa share

Own76%2,685
Rent24%834

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

3,750 workers (±285)

Clear Lake, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone79%2,974
Carpool6.0%†225
Public transit1.2%†46

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Mason City, IA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Cerro Gordo County, the county holding most of Clear Lake's residents.

Cerro Gordo County has 1,357 employer establishments, 320 for every 10,000 residents (1.29× the US rate of 248; 1.23× Iowa's), with 20,024 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,053. The Census Bureau also counts 2,854 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,357; 2,854 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 320; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 20,024
Average annual pay: $50,053; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Cerro Gordo County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	105	24.7	1.35×More than typical	1,864	$20,292	15
Ambulatory health care services	82	19.3	0.93×About typical	2,028	$82,131	115
Specialty trade contractors	82	19.3	1.25×About typical	537	$67,991	231
Full-service restaurants	47	11.1	1.44×More than typical	795	$22,619	6
Lessors of real estate	45	10.6	0.86×About typical	85	$44,000	401
Services to buildings and dwellings	44	10.4	1.54×More than typical	165	$32,485	208
Religious organizations	42	9.9	1.78×More than typical	321	$25,822	—
Limited-service restaurants	39	9.2	1.15×About typical	882	$18,709	8
Truck transportation	36	8.5	1.68×More than typical	232	$64,151	53
Automotive repair and maintenance	34	8	1.59×More than typical	202	$43,792	41
Insurance agencies and brokerages	34	8	1.82×More than typical	108	$61,231	60
Construction of buildings	33	7.8	1.03×About typical	376	$73,809	85

Rank places for an industry Open Cerro Gordo County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 42,427 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Clear Lake, Iowa: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

3.6KFY2017
1KFY2023
2KFY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Clear Lake, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Clear Lake, Iowa's figures are part of those of Cerro Gordo County, IA ($1.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Clear Lake is mostly in Cerro Gordo County.

See federal money in Cerro Gordo County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Clear Lake, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ashley HinsonR-IA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Cerro Gordo County94100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Mason City, IA96

Other cities and towns in Cerro Gordo County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1914025

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends