ZIP Code 50842 — Cromwell city, IA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 50842 covers Cromwell, IA in Union County with a population of about 85.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 52.4 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 641; U.S. House district IA-3; the DES MOINES - AMES media market.

Median household income in ZIP 50842 is about $57,917 — about 23% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 9.4%; unemployment rate near 0.0%; 15.3% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 18.5 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Healthcare, and Construction; about 5.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 10.2 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 38.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $108,900 — about 69% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show owner-occupancy near 89.2% (about 23.8 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 50842 in Cromwell, IA, a household would need roughly $30,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $700. That sits below the local median household income ($57,917), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Cromwell city, IA as Relatively Low (composite score 49.5), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (49.8) and flood (30.1). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Cromwell city, IA show little to no average snow and around 37.9 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 5 for ZIP 50842 (Cromwell city, IA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.