Lenox, IA · standard
ZIP Code 50851
Taylor County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 2,087
- 6/sq mi
- $70,926
- Median income
- $121,000
- Median home value
- 18.4%
- Bachelor's or higher
National ZIP placement
Lenox pairs a below-median household income with among the most affordable home values nationally, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 48th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 17th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 6
- people per sq mi
- 79%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 50851 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 50851 covers 331.3 square miles in Lenox, Taylor County, Iowa (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 2,087 residents on file, a density of 6 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 50851 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $70,926 (7% below the average Iowa ZIP), while per-capita income is $33,567. The poverty rate is 11.3%, with unemployment at 0.9%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $121,000 (31% below the average Iowa ZIP), and median rent is $1,054; owner occupancy is 78.5%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 18.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 40.3, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Taylor County, so 50851 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 →
Top industries in ZIP 50851
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Lenox, IA
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 50851.
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
9 establishments
- Retail trade
Retail trade
8 establishments
- Construction
Construction
6 establishments
- Manufacturing
Manufacturing
5 establishments
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
Professional, scientific, and technical services
4 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, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 50851, Lenox, 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
2,087
Population
331.3
Area (sq mi)
6
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 50851?
40.3
Median Age
51.7%
Male
48.3%
Female
5.4%
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?
$70,926
Median Household Income
-7% vs state ZIP avg
$33,567
Per Capita Income
11.3%
Poverty Rate
0.9%
Unemployment Rate
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
997housing units
997
Total Housing Units
860
Occupied Units
137
Vacant Units
2.52
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$121,000
Median Home Value
-31% vs state ZIP avg
$1,054
Median Rent
1960
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 51 business establishments in ZIP 50851, employing approximately 932 people with a combined annual payroll of $48,281,000.
51
Businesses
932
Employees
$48.3M
Annual Payroll
9
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Other services (except public administration) | 9 | 17.6% |
| Retail trade | 8 | 15.7% |
| Construction | 6 | 11.8% |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 9.8% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 4 | 7.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 3 | 5.9% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3 | 5.9% |
| Finance and insurance | 3 | 5.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 3 | 5.9% |
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 50851 vs 50840 →
ZIP 50851 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 50851
Lenox (50851)
2,087 residents
- 50840 560
Clearfield (50840)
560 residents
- 50862 148
Sharpsburg (50862)
148 residents
- 50842 105
Cromwell (50842)
105 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 50851 ranks the most populous - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 50851 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 50851
Lenox (50851)
$70,926 median income
- 50840
Clearfield (50840)
$63,125 median income
- 50862
Sharpsburg (50862)
$61,953 median income
- 50842
Cromwell (50842)
$59,583 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 50851 ranks the highest of 4 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 50851, both outside IA so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (2,087 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.