Clear Lake, Iowa

City in Cerro Gordo County · population 7,687 (2020 Census)

Median home: $259,500
Household income: $79,415
Jan low / Jul high: 7° / 83°
Snow a year: 44 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 24
Median age: 49.1

Clear Lake is a city of 7,687 people in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. The median home is worth $259,500, above the typical Iowa town ($156,300). It ranks better for a vacation home than 98% of Iowa towns, hipper than 88% of Iowa towns, better for cycling than 86% of Iowa towns.

How Clear Lake ranks

Percentile among Iowa towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Iowa towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Clear Lake is worth $259,500, above the typical Iowa town ($156,300). Homes cost about 3.3 times the median household income of $79,415, which is more affordable than 6% of Iowa towns. Median rent is $808 a month. 76.3% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Iowa towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Clear Lake	Typical Iowa town
Median home value	$259,500	$156,300
Median rent	$808	$820
Median household income	$79,415	$69,254
Home value ÷ income	3.3×	2.2×
Homeownership	76.3%	77.1%
Median year built	1974	1962
Seasonal / vacation homes	18.8%	—

Who lives in Clear Lake

People	Clear Lake	Typical Iowa town
Median age	49.1	40.2
Age 65 and over	27.5%	20.0%
Under 18	17.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.5%	21.8%
Below the poverty line	8.3%	9.3%
Veterans	5.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.6%	—
Work from home	10.2%	7.1%
Average commute	18.6 min	21.6 min
Homes with broadband	89.0%	88.5%

Weather in Clear Lake

July highs average 82.5°F and January lows 7.2°F. About 36.2 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 44.4 inches of snow (typical Iowa town: 32.5 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 161 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Mason City Muni Ap station (2.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

24 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Clear Lake since 1950, compared with 24 for the typical Iowa town. 5 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on May 10, 1953 about 6.7 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 28, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 78 times; the largest was 3.00 inches on June 18, 1974.

Severe weather in Cerro Gordo County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Cerro Gordo County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996).

Cerro Gordo County has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 23, 2020	Biological	DR-4483: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3480: Covid-19
August 20, 2018	Severe Storm	DR-4386: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
October 31, 2016	Flood	DR-4289: Severe Storms And Flooding
May 27, 2008	Severe Storm	DR-1763: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Cerro Gordo County

Cerro Gordo County had 23,531 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $54,949 a year. Unemployment was 3.1% in 2023; in Clear Lake itself the ACS puts it at 2.4%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Clear Lake

3 public schools with 1,472 students, about 14.7 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Clear Creek Elementary School	PK-5	688	14.6
Clear Lake High School	9-12	458	14.8
Clear Lake Middle School	6-8	326	14.8

Towns near Clear Lake

Mason City, IA
8.8 mi · 27,338 people · home $142,000
Garner, IA
11.8 mi · 3,065 people · home $186,300
Forest City, IA
15.7 mi · 4,285 people · home $143,500
Hampton, IA
28.5 mi · 4,337 people · home $99,400

Clear Lake questions

Is Clear Lake, Iowa a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Clear Lake scores better for retirees than 59% of Iowa towns and quieter than 44%. 27.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 49.1).

How much does a house cost in Clear Lake?

The median owner-occupied home in Clear Lake is valued at $259,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $79,415, so homes cost about 3.3 times income. Median rent is $808 a month.

What is the weather like in Clear Lake?

July highs average 82.5°F and January lows 7.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 36.2 inches of precipitation a year and 44.4 inches of snow.

Does Clear Lake get tornadoes?

24 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Clear Lake since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on May 10, 1953. The typical Iowa town has had 24.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Clear Lake's Census boundary (GEOID 1914025). Comparisons use the median of Iowa towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.