Map the Block › Places › Iowa › Palo Alto County
What are the crime rate and median income in Palo Alto County, Iowa?
FBI reports put Palo Alto County at 1.6 violent crimes per 1,000 people a year over 2021-2025, 39% lower than the rate for Iowa (2.7). The median household earns $72,781 and the unemployment rate was 2.6% in August 2026. It is home to roughly 8,863 residents.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Palo Alto County?
Over 2021-2025, the county's police agencies sent the FBI reports of about 14 violent and 50 property crimes per year. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 1.6: 39% lower than the Iowa rate (2.7), and 56% lower than the national rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 5.7 per 1,000 (Iowa: 13.6; U.S.: 18.1). With this few incidents, one or two cases move the rate a lot from year to year.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Palo Alto County | Per 1,000 | Iowa per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 14 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 1 | 0.12 | 0.42 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0.00 | 0.20 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 14 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 50 | 5.7 | 13.6 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 15 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 32 | 3.7 | 9.9 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 3 | 0.36 | 1.5 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (2 agencies; 99% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Palo Alto County?
Half of households in Palo Alto County make more than $72,781 and half make less; across Iowa the midpoint is $75,059. The typical owner-occupied home is valued at $123,200 by its owners; renters pay a median $638. 10.0% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 8.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.6% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 130 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Palo Alto County | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,863 | 3,210,507 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $72,781 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $123,200 | $208,000 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $638 | $972 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 2.2% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 11.6% | 11.1% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 10.0% | 8.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 19.0% | 31.4% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 77.1% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 41.9 | 38.6 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 89.8% | 88.9% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 4.8% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Palo Alto County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Palo Alto County as “Very Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Palo Alto County, active or completed (October 2026).
Industrial chemical releases
2 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 116,432 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Palo Alto County was covered by 4 federal major disaster declarations from 2016 through 2025 (Severe Storm 3, Flood 1), not counting COVID-19. In 2024, 0 of 363 monitored days had an air quality index of “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse (EPA). Of 7 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 1 (highest).
Is there road construction in Palo Alto County?
Palo Alto County had 1 highway work zone in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (active that day). Roads listed: US-18. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Palo Alto County?
Federal school lists show 10 public and 1 private schools in the county. 5 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 8 fire or EMS stations and 3 police or sheriff stations. 1 state park or recreation area: Kearny State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Palo Alto County
Gun shops
No gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Palo Alto County. There are 5 licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown).
Liquor stores
No liquor stores are on the map in Palo Alto County. Iowa has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Palo Alto County on the map.
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Palo Alto County?
Palo Alto County averaged 14 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 1.6 per 1,000 residents, 39% lower than the Iowa rate (2.7). The property-crime rate was 5.7 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Palo Alto County?
$72,781 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $75,059 for Iowa and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Palo Alto County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.6% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 130 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Palo Alto County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Palo Alto County as “Very Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
Is there road construction in Palo Alto County right now?
Palo Alto County had 1 highway work zone in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (active that day). Roads listed: US-18.
How many nursing homes are in Palo Alto County?
5 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Palo Alto County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buena Vista County | 20,753 | 2.1 | $71,719 |
| Clay County | 16,461 | 0.90 | $65,428 |
| Dickinson County | 17,990 | 0.95 | $75,432 |
| Emmet County | 9,262 | 2.5 | $63,730 |
| Humboldt County | 9,591 | 0.99 | $71,946 |
| Kossuth County | 14,516 | 1.2 | $67,697 |
| Pocahontas County | 7,046 | 0.64 | $61,875 |
More: Iowa statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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