Thornton, IA · standard
ZIP Code 50479
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 684
- 5/sq mi Low-density area
- $68,750
- Median income Near-median income area
- $121,100
- Median home value Below-median home value
- 21.0%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Thornton pairs a below-median household income with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 45th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 17th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 5
- people per sq mi
- 87%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 50479 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 50479 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Thornton, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, home to just 684 residents across 148.7 square miles, a density of 5 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 50479 reports a modest median household income of $68,750 (10% below the average Iowa ZIP), while per-capita income is $35,464. The poverty rate is 8.7%, with unemployment at 1.2%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $121,100 (31% below the average Iowa ZIP), and median rent is $839; owner occupancy is 87.2%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 21.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 32.3, and the average commute is 24 minutes. The page also surfaces 4 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Cerro Gordo County, so 50479 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
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 →
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 50479, Thornton, 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
684
Population
148.7
Area (sq mi)
5
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 50479?
32.3
Median Age
52.4%
Male
47.6%
Female
0.5%
Foreign-Born
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?
$68,750
Median Household Income
-10% vs state ZIP avg
$35,464
Per Capita Income
8.7%
Poverty Rate
1.2%
Unemployment Rate
23.7 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 50479 ranks among Iowa ZIPs
Thornton, IA household income vs. every Iowa ZIP code
Median household income among 911 reporting Iowa ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$68,750 37th percentile higher than 37% of 911 Iowa ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Iowa 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?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
319housing units
319
Total Housing Units
288
Occupied Units
31
Vacant Units
2.27
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$121,100
Median Home Value
-31% vs state ZIP avg
$839
Median Rent
1945
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 11 business establishments in ZIP 50479, employing approximately 47 people with a combined annual payroll of $2,952,000.
11
Businesses
47
Employees
$3.0M
Annual Payroll
0
Industry Sectors
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 50479 vs 50457 →
ZIP 50479 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 50449
Klemme (50449)
724 residents
- 50479
Thornton (50479)
684 residents
- 50457
Meservey (50457)
441 residents
- 50420
Alexander (50420)
377 residents
- 50477
Swaledale (50477)
347 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 50479 ranks #2 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 50479 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 50420
Alexander (50420)
$76,250 median income
- 50479
Thornton (50479)
$68,750 median income
- 50449
Klemme (50449)
$59,524 median income
- 50477
Swaledale (50477)
$52,321 median income
- 50457
Meservey (50457)
$47,250 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 50479 ranks #2 of 5 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 50479, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Cerro Gordo County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 50479 in?
ZIP code 50479 (Thornton) is located in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. Cerro Gordo County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/cerro-gordo-ia.
What is the population of ZIP code 50479?
ZIP code 50479 in Thornton, IA has a population of 684 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 50479?
The median household income in ZIP 50479 is $68,750, which is 10% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 50479?
The median home value in ZIP 50479 is $121,100, which is 56% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 50479?
The largest racial group in ZIP 50479 is White at 92.7%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 7.2% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 50479?
ZIP code 50479 has 11 business establishments employing approximately 47 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 50479?
In ZIP code 50479, 50.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 21.0% 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 50479?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 50479 is 23.7 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 50479?
In ZIP code 50479, approximately 87.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 12.8% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 50479?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 50479 is 8.7% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 50479's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 50479 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Thornton, IA ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.