Population 2,771 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Lake Mills
Household size in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.18 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.13 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.17 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.12 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.07 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Lake Mills are small: just 2.12 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 46.4 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 49.8 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.3 | 39.7 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.2 | 39.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.8 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 48.2, Lake Mills is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. The median age has climbed from 46.4 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.0% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 4.3% | 9.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 7.1% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.3% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | +2.3 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are less common in Lake Mills than nationally: 9.3%, against 11.6%. Iowa as a whole looks much the same.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Lake Mills
Renters in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.6% | 26.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 24.9% | 28.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 28.8% | 28.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 31.6% | 28.3% | 34.8% |
| Change | +5.0 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over three in ten households in Lake Mills rent their homes (31.6%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Even so, renters make up a bigger share here than in Iowa as a whole (28.3%). Among homeowners, 52.1% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.5% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 18.5% | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.2% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.7% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.8 pts | +0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in Lake Mills is close to the national rate: 9.7% of homes are empty, against 9.6%.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1963 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1967 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1963 | 1969 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1961 | 1971 | 1980 |
| Change | −2 | +6 | +6 |
The housing in Lake Mills is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1961, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $556 | $669 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $501 | $732 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $659 | $821 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $670 | $1,020 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$114 | +$351 | +$606 |
A typical rental in Lake Mills costs $670 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 23.8% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Lake Mills
Bachelor's degrees in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.3% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 21.1% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 19.7% | 29.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 22.0% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.7 pts | +5.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Lake Mills have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 22.0%, against 35.6% nationally.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 87.1% | 90.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 90.3% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 93.0% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 94.0% | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +6.9 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Lake Mills is above the national rate: 94.0% of adults have a diploma, against 89.3%. Iowa as a whole looks much the same.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Lake Mills
| Period | Lake Mills | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.8% | 5.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.3% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.8% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 2.4% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.5 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
The job market in Lake Mills has been strong: just 2.4% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Lake Mills compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Mills | 2.12 | 48.2 | 9.3% | 31.6% | 9.7% | 1961 | $670 | 22.0% | 94.0% | 2.4% |
| Joice | 2.45 | 42.9 | 5.6% | 10.9% | 12.3% | 1939 | $940 | 23.1% | 94.6% | 0.5% |
| Scarville | 2.16 | 56.8 | 3.2% | 16.8% | 22.0% | 1938 | $699 | 22.1% | 95.5% | 0.4% |
| Emmons | 2.32 | 47.0 | 10.7% | 13.9% | 13.8% | 1938 | $825 | 13.8% | 97.2% | 2.5% |
| Leland | 2.46 | 41.6 | 6.6% | 15.2% | 7.4% | 1951 | $753 | 26.3% | 92.2% | 1.8% |
| Silver Lake | 2.50 | 40.0 | 5.5% | 11.0% | 14.2% | 1938 | $982 | 22.5% | 94.0% | 0.0% |
| Mansfield | 2.34 | 46.9 | 9.9% | 14.2% | 12.6% | 1944 | $849 | 14.9% | 96.5% | 3.1% |
| Fertile | 2.20 | 53.0 | 5.7% | 9.8% | 9.7% | 1956 | $820 | 25.1% | 95.8% | 1.5% |
| Hanlontown | 2.31 | 49.5 | 5.7% | 10.6% | 10.1% | 1939 | $881 | 24.0% | 96.7% | 1.3% |
| Forest City | 2.25 | 36.0 | 10.7% | 34.2% | 8.7% | 1966 | $728 | 27.9% | 95.0% | 2.6% |
| Kiester | 2.13 | 48.7 | 8.2% | 17.5% | 20.5% | 1948 | $669 | 15.4% | 90.8% | 3.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Whiteman AFB, MO · Spring Mills, PA · Stoutsville, OH · Eyota, MN · Enoree, SC · Elkland, MO · Stringer, MS · Dundas, MN · Center Harbor, NH · Castleton, VT
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Lake Mills. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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