Cylinder is a city in Palo Alto County, Iowa, home to about 46 people across 0.1 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 50528.
Homes sold for a median of $114 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Cylinder. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Cylinder’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Des Moines International Airport (DSM)120 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Fort Dodge Regional Airport (FOD)44 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Minneapolis, MN140 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL359 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Cylinder; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Cylinder had 87 residents in the 2020 census, down 21% since 2000.
It’s the 948th largest of 1,019 towns in Iowa by population.
Palo Alto County grew from 14,354 residents in 1900 to 8,996 in 2020.
Palo Alto County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 7°F. About 33.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 37 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Emmetsburg, IA weather station (9 miles away).
2,881 jobs at 272 businesses in Palo Alto County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2022 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
1 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Cylinder.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Physical and occupational therapists | 1 |
|---|
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Museums
Counts are within about 1 mile of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.