Alta Vista, IA · standard
ZIP Code 50603
Chickasaw County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 625
- 5/sq mi Low-density area
- $74,271
- Median income Near-median income area
- $122,700
- Median home value Below-median home value
- 6.7%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Alta Vista pairs an above-median household income with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 46%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 18th 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 50603 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 50603 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Alta Vista, Chickasaw County, Iowa, home to just 625 residents across 122.5 square miles, a density of 5 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 50603 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $74,271 (3% below the average Iowa ZIP), while per-capita income is $33,879. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 5.9% and unemployment is 2.7%. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $122,700 (30% below the average Iowa ZIP), and median rent is $640; owner occupancy is 86.6%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 6.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 41.3, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 5 more in Chickasaw County, so 50603 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 50603, Alta Vista, 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
625
Population
122.5
Area (sq mi)
5
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 50603?
41.3
Median Age
61.1%
Male
38.9%
Female
5.0%
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?
$74,271
Median Household Income
-3% vs state ZIP avg
$33,879
Per Capita Income
5.9%
Poverty Rate
2.7%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 50603 ranks among Iowa ZIPs
Alta Vista, 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)
$74,271 Top 49% higher than 51% 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
237housing units
237
Total Housing Units
231
Occupied Units
6
Vacant Units
2.40
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$122,700
Median Home Value
-30% vs state ZIP avg
$640
Median Rent
1946
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 13 business establishments in ZIP 50603, employing approximately 76 people with a combined annual payroll of $2,555,000.
13
Businesses
76
Employees
$2.6M
Annual Payroll
2
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 4 | 30.8% |
| Construction | 3 | 23.1% |
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 50603 vs 50628 →
ZIP 50603 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 50659
New Hampton (50659)
5,488 residents
- 50628 1,374
Elma (50628)
1,374 residents
- 50603 625
Alta Vista (50603)
625 residents
- 50620 54
Colwell (50620)
54 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 50603 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 50603 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 50659
New Hampton (50659)
$78,153 median income
- 50603
Alta Vista (50603)
$74,271 median income
- 50628
Elma (50628)
$68,750 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 50603 ranks #2 of 3 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 50603, 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 Chickasaw County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 50603 in?
ZIP code 50603 (Alta Vista) is located in Chickasaw County, Iowa. Chickasaw County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/chickasaw-ia.
What is the population of ZIP code 50603?
ZIP code 50603 in Alta Vista, IA has a population of 625 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 50603?
The median household income in ZIP 50603 is $74,271, which is 3% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 50603?
The median home value in ZIP 50603 is $122,700, which is 56% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 50603?
The largest racial group in ZIP 50603 is White at 95.0%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 5.0% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 50603?
ZIP code 50603 has 13 business establishments employing approximately 76 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 50603?
In ZIP code 50603, 45.6% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 6.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 50603?
In ZIP code 50603, approximately 86.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 13.4% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 50603?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 50603 is 5.9% 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 50603's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 50603 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Alta Vista, IA ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.