Mason City is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, home to about 27,050 people across 28 square miles. Its ZIP code is 50401.
Homes sold for a median of $123 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Mason City; also Rock Falls and Portland
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Mason City. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Mason City’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)114 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Mason City Municipal Airport (MCW)7 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Paul, MN124 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL295 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Mason City; 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.
Mason City had 27,338 residents in the 2020 census, down 6% since 2000.
It’s the 18th largest of 1,019 towns in Iowa by population.
Cerro Gordo County grew from 20,672 residents in 1900 to 43,127 in 2020.
Cerro Gordo County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 82°F in summer, and winter lows average 7°F. About 36.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Mason City, IA weather station (about a mile away).
20,024 jobs at 1,357 businesses in Cerro Gordo County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
597 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Mason City.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 106 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 148 |
| Dentists | 34 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 120 |
| Mental health providers | 136 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 30 |
| Optometrists | 9 |
| Chiropractors | 14 |
| Pharmacies | 15 |
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.
Parks (30 nearby)
Grocery stores (7 nearby)
Pharmacies (3 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums (2 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 3.5 miles 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.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Mason City Comm School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding Elementary SchoolMason City | Pre-K–4 | 387 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Hoover Elementary SchoolMason City | Pre-K–4 | 361 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Jefferson Elementary SchoolMason City | Pre-K–4 | 292 | Public | 1.1 mi |
| Roosevelt Elementary SchoolMason City | Pre-K–4 | 348 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Lincoln IntermediateMason City | 5–6 | 485 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| John Adams Middle SchoolMason City | 7–8 | 463 | Public | 1.3 mi |
| Mason City Virtual AcademyMason City | 8–12 | 88 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| Alternative SchoolMason City | 9–12 | 91 | Alternative Education | 1.4 mi |
| Mason City High SchoolMason City | 9–12 | 891 | Public | 1.4 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newman Catholic Elementary SchoolMason City | K–12 | 558 | Roman Catholic | 2.4 mi |
| North Iowa Christian SchoolMason City | K–12 | 84 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 0.4 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Rock Falls and Portland.
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.