Hastings, IA · standard
ZIP Code 51540
Mills County, Iowa - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 449
- 3/sq mi Low-density area
- $84,375
- Median income Above-median income area
- $217,700
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 17.4%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Hastings pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 33%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 49th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 3
- people per sq mi
- 78%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 51540 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 51540 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Hastings, Mills County, Iowa, home to just 449 residents across 140.3 square miles, a density of 3 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 51540 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $84,375 (10% above the average Iowa ZIP), while per-capita income is $41,008. The poverty rate is 8.6%, with unemployment at 1.4%; those measures add context to the income figure. Housing is both higher-cost and owner-heavy: median home value is $217,700 (24% above the average Iowa ZIP), while 78.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied and median rent is $1,309.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 17.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 48, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 5 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Mills County, so 51540 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 51540, Hastings, 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
449
Population
140.3
Area (sq mi)
3
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 51540?
48.0
Median Age
56.5%
Male
43.5%
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?
$84,375
Median Household Income
+10% vs state ZIP avg
$41,008
Per Capita Income
8.6%
Poverty Rate
1.4%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 51540 ranks among Iowa ZIPs
Hastings, 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)
$84,375 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
207housing units
207
Total Housing Units
141
Occupied Units
66
Vacant Units
2.64
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$217,700
Median Home Value
+24% vs state ZIP avg
$1,309
Median Rent
1938
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 9 business establishments in ZIP 51540, employing approximately 29 people with a combined annual payroll of $1,125,000.
9
Businesses
29
Employees
$1.1M
Annual Payroll
1
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Other services (except public administration) | 6 | 66.7% |
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 51540 vs 51551 →
ZIP 51540 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 51551
Malvern (51551)
1,828 residents
- 51533
Emerson (51533)
895 residents
- 51571 649
Silver City (51571)
649 residents
- 51540 449
Hastings (51540)
449 residents
- 51541 363
Henderson (51541)
363 residents
- 51645 262
Imogene (51645)
262 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 51540 ranks #4 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 51540 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 51645
Imogene (51645)
$217,898 median income
- 51571
Silver City (51571)
$95,250 median income
- 51541
Henderson (51541)
$91,875 median income
- 51551 $85,469
Malvern (51551)
$85,469 median income
- 51540 $84,375
Hastings (51540)
$84,375 median income
- 51533 $68,750
Emerson (51533)
$68,750 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 51540 ranks #5 of 6 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 51540, 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 Mills County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 51540 in?
ZIP code 51540 (Hastings) is located in Mills County, Iowa. Mills County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/mills-ia.
What is the population of ZIP code 51540?
ZIP code 51540 in Hastings, IA has a population of 449 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 51540?
The median household income in ZIP 51540 is $84,375, which is 11% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 51540?
The median home value in ZIP 51540 is $217,700, which is 22% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 51540?
The largest racial group in ZIP 51540 is White at 85.2%.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 51540?
ZIP code 51540 has 9 business establishments employing approximately 29 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 51540?
In ZIP code 51540, 69.9% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 17.4% 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 51540?
In ZIP code 51540, approximately 78.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 22.0% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 51540?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 51540 is 8.6% 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 51540's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 51540 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Hastings, 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.