Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, home to about 11,428 people across 5.4 square miles. Its ZIP code is 50588.
Homes sold for a median of $122 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly Storm Lake; also Lakeside
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Storm Lake. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Storm Lake’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Eppley Airfield (OMA)99 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Fort Dodge Regional Airport (FOD)51 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Omaha, NE105 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL388 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Storm Lake; 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.
Storm Lake had 11,269 residents in the 2020 census, up 12% since 2000.
It’s the 35th largest of 1,019 towns in Iowa by population.
Buena Vista County grew from 16,975 residents in 1900 to 20,823 in 2020.
Buena Vista 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 9°F. About 33.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Storm Lake, IA weather station (about a mile away).
8,855 jobs at 491 businesses in Buena Vista County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
118 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Storm Lake.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 22 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 5 |
| Dentists | 12 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 24 |
| Mental health providers | 12 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 28 |
| Optometrists | 6 |
| Chiropractors | 9 |
| Pharmacies | 10 |
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 (10 nearby)
Grocery stores (3 nearby)
Pharmacies (2 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums (4 nearby)
Counts are within about 1.5 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.
Established in 1873.
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 Storm Lake Comm School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Early Childhood CtrStorm Lake | Pre-K | 122 | Public | 0.5 mi |
| Storm Lake Early Elementary SchoolStorm lake | K–1 | 437 | Public | 1.7 mi |
| Storm Lake ElementaryStorm Lake | 2–5 | 822 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Storm Lake Middle SchoolStorm Lake | 6–8 | 651 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Storm Lake High SchoolStorm Lake | 9–12 | 851 | Public | 0.2 mi |
| St Lake/IA Cntrl/Buena Vista Early College HSStorm Lake | 12 | 50 | Charter | 0.2 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Von Der Becke Academy CorpStorm Lake | 1–5 | 3 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 0.4 mi |
| St Mary's SchoolStorm Lake | 6–12 | 103 | Roman Catholic | 0.5 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 Lakeside.
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.