PlainZIP

Maxwell, IA · standard

ZIP Code 50161

Story County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

2,047
10/sq mi
$98,519
Median income
$256,500
Median home value
31.8%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Maxwell pairs an upper-quartile household income with above-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 20%
household income, US ZIPs
Top 41%
home value, US ZIPs
10
people per sq mi
89%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 50161 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 50161 covers 211.0 square miles in Maxwell, Story County, Iowa (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 2,047 residents on file, a density of 10 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.

ZIP 50161 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $98,519 (29% above the Iowa average), while per-capita income is $50,451. The poverty rate stands at 2.3% and the unemployment rate at 1.9%. Housing costs here run $256,500 for a typical home value (46% above the state average), with rent averaging $1,063 a month; 89.4% of homes are owner-occupied.

A solid share of residents have a four-year degree: 31.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 40.9, and the average commute is 33 minutes. We also surface 5 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Story County, so you can benchmark 50161 against its immediate geography rather than a national average alone.

Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →

Top industries in ZIP 50161

Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Maxwell, IA

Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 50161.

establishments

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) As of 2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 50161, Maxwell, IA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

2,047

Population

211.0

Area (sq mi)

10

People / sq mi

Chicago

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 50161?

40.9

Median Age

51.0%

Male

49.0%

Female

0.4%

Foreign-Born

White 91.9%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.0%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How much do residents earn?

$98,519

Median Household Income

+29% vs state

$50,451

Per Capita Income

2.3%

Poverty Rate

1.9%

Unemployment Rate

32.5 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 50161 ranks nationally

Maxwell, IA household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$98,519 Top 20% higher than 80% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. This ZIP $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 58.1%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 31.8%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

1,024

Total Housing Units

884

Occupied Units

140

Vacant Units

2.60

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 89.4%
Renter 10.6%

$256,500

Median Home Value

+46% vs state

$1,063

Median Rent

1973

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 40 business establishments in ZIP 50161, employing approximately 135 people with a combined annual payroll of $5,012,000.

40

Businesses

135

Employees

$5.0M

Annual Payroll

5

Industry Sectors

Industry Establishments % of Total
Construction 11 27.5%
Other services (except public administration) 6 15.0%
Professional, scientific, and technical services 5 12.5%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 5 12.5%
Wholesale trade 4 10.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.

Nearby ZIP Codes

Want a side-by-side? Compare 50161 vs 50055 →

ZIP 50161 vs its nearest neighbors, by population

Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 50161 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 50161 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

median income

What this shows By household income, ZIP 50161 ranks #4 of 6 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
ZIP Code City Population Distance
50055 Collins, IA 913 6.3 mi
50046 Cambridge, IA 1,524 7.0 mi
50073 Elkhart, IA 1,195 7.3 mi
50035 Bondurant, IA 5,387 9.0 mi
50168 Mingo, IA 842 8.1 mi

More ZIP Codes in Story County

50010 standard
Ames, IA
Pop: 29,359
50014 standard
Ames, IA
Pop: 28,094
50201 standard
Nevada, IA
Pop: 8,199
50248 standard
Story City, IA
Pop: 4,420
50012 standard
Ames, IA
Pop: 4,062
50124 standard
Huxley, IA
Pop: 3,750

Related Areas

Story County Maxwell, IA Iowa

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 50161 in? ▼
ZIP code 50161 (Maxwell) is located in Story County, Iowa. Story County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/story-ia.
What is the population of ZIP code 50161? ▼
ZIP code 50161 in Maxwell, IA has a population of 2,047 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 50161? ▼
The median household income in ZIP 50161 is $98,519, which is 29% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 50161? ▼
The median home value in ZIP 50161 is $256,500, which is 8% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 50161? ▼
The largest racial group in ZIP 50161 is White at 91.9%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 6.1% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 50161? ▼
ZIP code 50161 has 40 business establishments employing approximately 135 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 50161? ▼
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 50161 are: Construction (11), Other services (except public administration) (6), Professional, scientific, and technical services (5). There are 5 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 50161? ▼
In ZIP code 50161, 58.1% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 31.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 50161? ▼
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 50161 is 32.5 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 50161? ▼
In ZIP code 50161, approximately 89.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 10.6% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 50161? ▼
The poverty rate in ZIP code 50161 is 2.3% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.

Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.