City · Dickinson County, Iowa

Milford, Iowa

Milford is a city in Dickinson County, Iowa, part of the Spirit Lake, IA metro area. It has 3,311 residents. Milford, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 94 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,012 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #42 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), arts, entertainment and recreation (high) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and average weekly wage (low).

94Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,012 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #42 of 281 in IA
Population: 3,311 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,539.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 1952095

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.

Safety95#791/15,637
Economy55#7,037/15,631
Housing80#2,950/14,977
Health81#3,025/15,609
Healthcare71#4,539/15,650
Environment91#1,355/15,453
Education70#4,771/15,649
Infrastructure50#7,788/15,650
Community99#140/15,651
Leisure & amenities99#90/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Milford, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Dickinson 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

Restaurants and bars · high24.9 /10k
99/100Iowa 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high14.4 /10k
98/100Iowa 4.7 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value
Social associations · high19.9 /10k
98/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Flu vaccinations · high57.0%
97/100Iowa 51.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Mammography screening · high57.0%
96/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDickinson County value
Public libraries · high2.8 /10k
95/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesDickinson County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
4/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high148 mi
5/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauDickinson County value
Average weekly wage · low$922
8/100Iowa $1,221United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDickinson County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDickinson County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Iowa 10.1United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationDickinson County value
Distance to an airport · high82 mi
17/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauDickinson County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
3,004 (2015-2019) → 3,311 (2020-2024)
+10%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
61.6% (2015-2019) → 37.3% (2020-2024)
−24 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
7.4 /1k (2021) → 0.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−96%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.5% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
13.5% (2015-2019) → 5.0% (2020-2024)
−8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
33.5% (2015-2019) → 27.3% (2020-2024)
−6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Milford, Iowa improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+11 points79.5% → 90.0%

Declined1

Inequality+0.0640.401 → 0.464

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Milford, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.5 min2015-2019	19.4 min2020-2024	+3.9 min	Within the margin of error	14%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.3%2015-2019	21.8%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	79.5%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	62%
Effective property tax rate	1.17%2015-2019	0.77%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	84%
High school diploma or higher	92.4%2015-2019	97.1%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	34%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4012015-2019	0.4642020-2024	+0.064	Declined	12%
Median household income	$53,6252015-2019	$63,3692020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	29%
Poverty rate	9.5%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Rent as share of income	33.5%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Rent-burdened households	61.6%2015-2019	37.3%2020-2024	−24 points	Within the margin of error	96%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.7%2015-2019	3.1%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	73%

“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 Milford, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Milford, 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, Milford, Iowa itself moved +6.8 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

3,311 residents (±17)

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

1,561 households (±124)

Milford, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k11%†177
$25k–50k30%†463
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,561 households (±124)

Milford, Iowa
Iowa share

Own70%1,095
Rent30%466

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

1,815 workers (±163)

Milford, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone77%1,406
Carpool13%†233
Public transit0.0%0

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 Spirit Lake, 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 Dickinson County, the county holding most of Milford's residents.

Dickinson County has 784 employer establishments, 434 for every 10,000 residents (1.75× the US rate of 248; 1.67× Iowa's), with 7,749 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,053. The Census Bureau also counts 1,882 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 784; 1,882 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 434; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 7,749
Average annual pay: $48,053; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	66	36.5	1.99×More than typical	849	$26,655	6
Specialty trade contractors	62	34.3	2.22×More than typical	315	$61,784	167
Services to buildings and dwellings	47	26	3.86×More than typical	120	$55,058	124
Ambulatory health care services	41	22.7	1.09×About typical	300	$69,653	62
Landscaping services	33	18.3	5.21×More than typical	75	$62,560	28
Construction of buildings	32	17.7	2.34×More than typical	83	$59,651	95
Full-service restaurants	32	17.7	2.30×More than typical	462	$29,777	—
Lessors of real estate	32	17.7	1.44×More than typical	48	$46,292	298
Truck transportation	26	14.4	2.84×More than typical	144	$53,306	44
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	24	13.3	4.99×More than typical	254	$52,772	23
Limited-service restaurants	24	13.3	1.65×More than typical	339	$23,029	—
Religious organizations	24	13.3	2.39×More than typical	143	$26,420	—

Rank places for an industry Open Dickinson County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,081 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 Milford, Iowa: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
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

739.1FY2017
131.9FY2018
131.9FY2019
131.9FY2020
33FY2021
1KFY2023

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Milford, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Milford, Iowa's figures are part of those of Dickinson County, IA ($10.7K 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: Milford is mostly in Dickinson County.

See federal money in Dickinson 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.

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

House

Randy FeenstraR-IA-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

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.

Dickinson County100100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Spirit Lake, IA100

Other cities and towns in Dickinson 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/1952095

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends