Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety99#7/924
Economy94#53/925
Housing88#116/925
Health96#35/925
Healthcare83#156/923
Environment92#73/917
Education89#105/925
Infrastructure78#207/925
Community99#7/925
Leisure & amenities99#9/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

High school diploma or higher · high96.9%
100/100Iowa 93.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Social associations · high19.9 /10k
99/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Restaurants and bars · high24.9 /10k
99/100Iowa 9.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Lack of reliable transportation · low6.0%
99/100Iowa 7.2%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low3.7%
99/100Iowa 6.4%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Public libraries · high2.8 /10k
99/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Public transit commuters · low0.0%
3/100Iowa 0.7%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Pharmacies · low0.6 /10k
3/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · low$922
7/100Iowa $1,221United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Distance to an Amtrak station · high148 mi
7/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · low127 /100k
17/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high82 mi
28/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureImproving
70% (2021) → 17% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
−53 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedWorsening
21.5 /1k (2021) → 6.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−72%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
PharmaciesWorsening
1.1 /10k (2020) → 0.6 /10k (2025)
−51%5 yearsUS 1.9 /10k → 1.8 /10k
Mental health providersImproving
85 /100k (2021) → 127 /100k (2025)
+48%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$67,661 (2019) → $100,205 (2024)
+48%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
Violent crime rateImproving
182 /100k (2020) → 96 /100k (2025)
−47%5 yearsUS 389 /100k → 328 /100k

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, Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area improved on 11 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 9 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Real income+48%$67,661 → $100,205
Violent crime−47%182 /100k → 96 /100k
Traffic deaths−22%12.8 /100k → 10.0 /100k
Suicides−17%19.4 /100k → 16.1 /100k
Uninsured−1.7 points5.4% → 3.6%

Declined4

Pharmacies−51%1.1 /10k → 0.6 /10k
Gyms−34%3.4 /10k → 2.2 /10k
Arts & recreation−12%16.3 /10k → 14.4 /10k
Firearm deaths+13%9.5 /100k → 10.7 /100k

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	16.3 /10k2020	14.4 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	12%
Average commute time	16.2 min2015-2019	16.7 min2020-2024	+0.6 min	Within the margin of error	43%
Average weekly wage	$7882020	$9222025	+17%	Improved	8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.6%2015-2019	31.2%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Broadband subscriptions	82.5%2015-2019	90.8%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Improved	42%
Child poverty rate	10.2%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Distance to an airport	82 mi2020	82 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Effective property tax rate	0.92%2015-2019	0.78%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	56%
Firearm deaths	9.5 /100k2020	10.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+13%	Declined	32%
Grocery stores	2.8 /10k2020	2.8 /10k2025	−1.7%	Little change	43%
Gyms and fitness centers	3.4 /10k2020	2.2 /10k2025	−34%	Declined	9%
High school diploma or higher	96.0%2015-2019	96.9%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Home price to income ratio	3.2×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	61%
Income adjusted for local prices	$67,6612019	$100,2052024	+48%	Improved	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4372015-2019	0.4462020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	31%
Median household income	$59,9692015-2019	$75,4322020-2024	+26%	Improved	44%
New business applications	9.3 /1k2020	12.6 /1k2025	+35%	Improved	34%
Pharmacies	1.1 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−51%	Declined	1%
Poverty rate	8.2%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Property crime rate	708 /100k2020	506 /100k2025	−29%	Improved	38%
Public libraries	2.9 /10k2019	2.8 /10k2024	−4.3%	Little change	27%
Rent as share of income	28.4%2015-2019	26.2%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Rent-burdened households	47.5%2015-2019	39.5%2020-2024	−8 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Restaurants and bars	25.3 /10k2020	24.9 /10k2025	−1.7%	Little change	38%
Suicide rate	19.4 /100k2020	16.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−17%	Improved	84%
Traffic deaths	12.8 /100k2015-2019	10.0 /100k2020-2024	−22%	Improved	90%
Unemployment rate	5.2%2020	3.4%2025	−1.8 points	Improved	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.4%2015-2019	3.6%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Improved	82%
Violent crime rate	182 /100k2020	96 /100k2025	−47%	Improved	92%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area 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, Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area itself moved +3.6 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

17,990 residents

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

8,845 households (±279)

Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k15%1,290
$25k–50k16%1,407
$50k–75k19%1,692

Homes

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

Owners and renters

8,845 households (±279)

Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area
United States share

Own77%6,851
Rent23%1,994

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

9,233 workers (±262)

Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%7,174
Carpool8.0%741
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 no occupation wages for Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area.

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.

Spirit Lake, IA has 784 employer establishments, 434 for every 10,000 residents (1.75× the US rate of 248), 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
Paid employees: 7,749
Average annual pay: $48,053; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Spirit Lake, IA 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

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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $10.7K on contracts performed in Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area: $0.59 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $10.7K
Per resident: $0.59; US $2,007
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$10.7K100%

Top recipients

BOOST-IT MOTORSPORTS LLC$10.7K100%

Spending by fiscal year

374.1KFY2017
21.9KFY2018
34.4KFY2019
6.5KFY2020
14.6KFY2021
132.1KFY2022
49.7KFY2023
3.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Automotive repair and maintenance · 8111$10.7K100%

Largest awards

RRB POLARIS RZR ENGINE REBUILD$10.7K
BOOST-IT MOTORSPORTS LLC· Dickinson County, IA· Other equipment & supplies· Dec 15, 2025 – Dec 15, 2025· W912LM26PA002

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $165.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area: $9,155 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $165.5M; −7.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9,155; US $12,975
Loan face value: $9.2M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 12%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$117.4M71%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$11.1M6.7%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$8.4M5.1%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$7M4.3%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$6.6M4.0%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$4.4M2.7%
10.113 · Agriculture Risk Coverage Program$2.9M1.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$1.2M0.7%

Top recipients (organizations)

IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.1M0.7%
AMES, IA
SPIRIT LAKE, L H A OF$677.6K0.4%
SPIRIT LAKE, IA
HYDROKINETX CORPORATION$305K0.2%
ARNOLDS PARK, IA
SPIRIT LAKE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS$302.5K0.2%
SPIRIT LAKE, IA
CITY OF ESTHERVILLE$116K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$132.3M80%
Farm Service Agency$18.6M11%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$9.8M5.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$1.1M0.7%
Department of Transportation
Natural Resources Conservation Service

Assistance by fiscal year

146.8MFY2021
128.9MFY2022
148.2MFY2023
154.9MFY2024
179.2MFY2025
165.5MFY2026

County aggregates

86%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Spirit Lake, IA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Dickinson CountyCentral county10018,077

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Spirit LakePrincipal city5,518

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Iowa

Areas based in Iowa, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Spencer, IA99

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M44020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Spirit Lake, IA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Spirit Lake, IA

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Iowa

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought