ZIP Code 52169 — Wadena city, IA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 52169 covers Wadena, IA in Fayette County with a population of about 394.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 50.6 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 563; U.S. House district IA-2; the CEDAR RAPIDS - WTRLO - IWC&DUB media market.

Median household income in ZIP 52169 is about $52,216 — about 31% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 7.6%; unemployment rate near 2.0%; 16.0% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 17.7 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Other services, Healthcare, and Construction; about 8.3% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 6.9 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 133.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $113,300 — about 67% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $511 (about 56% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 77.6% (about 12.2 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 52169 in Wadena, IA, a household would need roughly $31,000 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 $728. That sits below the local median household income ($52,216), 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 Wadena city, IA as Relatively Low (composite score 50.9), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (59.2) and hurricane (17.4). 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 Wadena city, IA show little to no average snow and around 39.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 23 for ZIP 52169 (Wadena 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.