ZIP Code 51242 — Lester city, IA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 51242 covers Lester, IA in Lyon County with a population of about 346.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 38.3 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 712; U.S. House district IA-4; the SIOUX FALLS (MITCHELL) media market.

Lester, IA is tagged as a Tribal Nation community context (place names indicate a tribal nation community). Local search often includes tribal government offices, public safety, and Indian Health Service (IHS) / wellness topics alongside standard ZIP demographics.

Median household income in ZIP 51242 is about $86,406 — about 15% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 2.0%; unemployment rate near 0.0%; 22.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 10.8 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Education, and Agriculture; about 3.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 12.1 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $185,200 — about 47% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show owner-occupancy near 84.9% (about 19.5 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 51242 in Lester, IA, a household would need roughly $51,000 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 $1,190. That sits below the local median household income ($86,406), 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 Lester city, IA as Very Low (composite score 19.2), which is relatively lower than many U.S. communities. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (28.4) and flood (19.6). 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 Lester city, IA show little to no average snow and around 29.3 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 20 for ZIP 51242 (Lester 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.