Palo Alto County GIS Maps
Palo Alto County, Iowa, has 8,996 residents across 10,453 parcels and covers 563.9 square miles. The population declined 4.5% between the 2010 and 2020 census. More residents left than arrived over that decade. The FIPS code for Palo Alto County is 19147.
Emmetsburg is the county's largest population center. Palo Alto County also includes 8 zip codes, 6 public school districts and 32 municipalities. Those boundaries help explain why population, schools, and housing can look different from one part of the county to another. The map below shows how those county lines, zip codes, and school districts fit together, and the sections that follow use that same geography to show parcel data, population, demographics, school enrollment and housing patterns in more detail.
Maps, GIS layers, Parcels and sample data. Paid packages add full layers, analytics and database files.
Palo Alto County Trends
- Population
- 8,996▾
- Median Home Value
- $119,300▴
- K-12 Enrollment
- 2,068▾
County analytics dashboards with historical trends & projections included in package downloads.
Free starter access previews county maps, lightweight GIS, and sample data. Paid packages unlock full GIS layers, analytics, and database files.
Palo Alto County Maps
The maps below show a few of the county map styles included in our downloads. County packages include map exports in JPEG, PNG, SVG, PDF and GeoTIFF formats plus more than 20 GIS layers for mapping, research and analysis. Available layers include zip codes, area codes, subdivisions, school districts, political boundaries, roads, water features, points of interest and more.
County packages also include historical county demographics, business intelligence, analytical dashboards, AI-ready prompts, markdown files and related reference data. Everything is organized to save hours of manual work collecting current data, cleaning it and joining it together. That makes it easier to move faster on analytics, due diligence, business planning and location research. Paid packages are built for commercial use, but some package contents include source-specific attribution or notice guidance. Review Licensing & Data Source Notices.
Palo Alto County Parcels
Palo Alto County has 10,453 mapped parcels covering 238,882 acres. The median assessed value is $88,000. The median lot size is 37.67 acres. 6,427 parcels are 10 acres or larger. The records carry 3,975 distinct owner names. Owner names and assessed values are on nearly every parcel. Lot sizes reach 72.6%. Browse the interactive Palo Alto County Parcel viewer here.
Palo Alto County Parcel Data Coverage
| Field | Parcels | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel ID | 10,453 | 100% |
| Owner name | 10,445 | 99.9% |
| Owner mailing address | 0 | 0% |
| Site address | 3,491 | 33.4% |
| Land use code | 0 | 0% |
| Land use description | 0 | 0% |
| Assessed value | 10,424 | 99.7% |
| Land value | 0 | 0% |
| Improvement value | 0 | 0% |
| Acreage | 7,586 | 72.6% |
| Parcel boundary | 10,453 | 100% |
| Download all Palo Alto County parcels. | ||
Field coverage measured across all Palo Alto County parcel records.
Palo Alto County Population
Palo Alto County had 8,996 residents in 2020. That was 4.5% lower than in 2010. Palo Alto County had 1,151 fewer people in 2020 than it did in 2000, which points to a long-term population decline. The county is fairly spread out, with about 16 people per square mile. Some of the county's most populated postal areas include Emmetsburg, West Bend and Ruthven.
Population Trend in Palo Alto County IA
Palo Alto County Population per 2000, 2010 and 2020 census counts with a baseline 2030 projection.
Palo Alto County Zip Codes
Palo Alto County has 8 zip codes. Some of the county's most populated zip codes include Emmetsburg (50536), West Bend (50597) and Ruthven (51358). Emmetsburg is the largest zip by population, with about 4,351 residents or 48% of the county total. Together, the three largest zips account for about 77% of all county residents based on 2020 population estimates.
Most Populated Zip Codes in Palo Alto County IA
| ZIP | Area | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50536 | Emmetsburg | 4,351 | ▾ -4.2% |
| 50597 | West Bend | 1,275 | ▾ -1.4% |
| 51358 | Ruthven | 1,274 | ▾ -2.7% |
| 51342 | Graettinger | 1,227 | ▾ -1.8% |
| 50562 | Curlew | 474 | ▾ -10.1% |
| Download all zip code data | |||
Palo Alto County Zip Code populations and trends per most recent census data.
Palo Alto County Demographics
Palo Alto County has a median age of 41.5, which makes the county a little older than Iowa overall. About 23.4% of residents are under 18, while 21.9% are 65 or older. That gives the county a fairly even mix of younger families and older adults. The largest age group is 25 to 44 at about 27.4% of the population, which points to a solid working-age base. About 20.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, above the statewide figure of 30.9%. The county is mostly White by population, though Hispanic, Asian, Black and multiracial residents are also part of the local mix.
Key Demographics for Palo Alto County IA
Median Age
41.5
Under 18
23.4%
Age 65+
21.9%
Bachelor's+
20.5%
Palo Alto County School Districts
Palo Alto County is served by 6 public school districts with 2,068 students enrolled in 2024. The largest districts on the county map are Emmetsburg Community, West Bend-Mallard Community and Graettinger-Terril Community. Those three districts account for about 71% of public school enrollment in the map area. Total enrollment has stayed fairly steady in recent years, but it is slightly lower than it was in 2017.
Largest School Districts by Enrollment in Palo Alto County IA
| District | Enrollment | Share | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmetsburg Community School District | 727 | 35.2% | ▾ -3.1% |
| West Bend-Mallard Community School District | 422 | 20.4% | ▴ 1.9% |
| Graettinger-Terril Community School District | 325 | 15.7% | ▾ -4.1% |
| North Union Community School District | 300 | 14.5% | ▾ -3.5% |
| Laurens-Marathon Community School District | 147 | 7.1% | ▴ 1.4% |
| Download all school district data | |||
Palo Alto County school district enrollment and trends per most recent NCES reporting data.
Palo Alto County Housing & Real Estate
Palo Alto County has a median home value of $119,300 and a median gross rent of $599. About 76% of occupied homes in the county are owner-occupied, so the local housing market leans heavily toward ownership. Home values run below the Iowa median, while rents come in below the state average. In March 2026, the median listing price was $174,963 and homes spent about 114 days on the market.
Palo Alto County Housing Mix
Palo Alto County housing mix: owner, renter and vacant units.
Palo Alto County Housing Trends
Palo Alto County median home value and rent trend (last 5 years).
Businesses in Palo Alto County, IA
Palo Alto County has 441 business listings across 203 categories. The largest categories in Palo Alto County business listings are Churches & Religious Organizations (19, 4.3%), Parks & Recreation (10, 2.3%), and Community & Nonprofits (9, 2.0%). The full Palo Alto County business listings dataset includes names, categories, addresses and contact details where available. Palo Alto County packages also include U.S. Census County Business Patterns data with establishment counts, employment and payroll by industry sector.
Top Business Categories in Palo Alto County, IA
| Category | Businesses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Churches & Religious Organizations | 19 | 4.3% |
| Parks & Recreation | 10 | 2.3% |
| Community & Nonprofits | 9 | 2.0% |
| Gas Stations | 8 | 1.8% |
| Lake | 8 | 1.8% |
| Bars & Nightlife | 7 | 1.6% |
| Insurance Agencies | 7 | 1.6% |
| Beauty Salons | 7 | 1.6% |
| Contractors | 6 | 1.4% |
| Auto Repair | 6 | 1.4% |
Palo Alto County Business Listings
| Business | Category | City |
|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto County Conservation Board / Lost Island Nature Center | Active Life | Ruthven |
| Parallel Ag | Agricultural Service | Emmetsburg |
| Ag Partners | Agriculture | Emmetsburg |
| Emmetsburg Municipal Airport | Airport | Emmetsburg |
| Bully's Bar & Grill | American Restaurants | Ruthven |
| Grotto of the Redemption | Antique Store | West Bend |
| Montag Manufacturer | Appliance Manufacturer | West Bend |
| West Bend Public Library | Arts And Entertainment | West Bend |
| Parc Hall | Assisted Living Facility | Emmetsburg |
| LibertyX Bitcoin ATM | ATMs | Emmetsburg |
| Download Palo Alto County business listings | ||
Palo Alto County business listings sourced from Overture Maps. Includes locations with a high level of confidence.
Palo Alto County Basemaps
Palo Alto County map and data packages include a set of useful basemaps to help you get started quickly. These include a custom light grey canvas, USGS topo, imagery and other reference layers that make it easier to build clear, meaningful county maps using the included GIS layers, your own data or both. Pre-rendered map tiles for the light grey basemap are included so you can use them offline or host them on your own CDN.
Get the Full Palo Alto County Data Package
This page shows a preview of what's included in the Palo Alto County data package. The full package gives you a ready-to-use county data system with GIS layers, historical data, maps, database files and planning tools that save hours of manual data gathering, cleanup and joins. Everything is organized to help you skip data wrangling and start analysis faster.
- 20+ GIS layers for parcels, zip codes, school districts, roads, water, boundaries and more
- Historical county demographics, housing, income and trend data
- ZIP code population files and school district enrollment history
- Database files, markdowns, AI-ready prompts and documentation
- Map exports in PNG, JPEG, PDF, SVG and GeoTIFF formats
- Offline-ready data explorer, map and analytics tools
Paid packages support commercial use, client work, and derived outputs. Some package contents may include source-specific attribution or provider notices. See Licensing & Data Source Notices.
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Nearby Counties
Browse county data pages for the counties that border Palo Alto County. These nearby pages include the same mix of county maps, demographic summaries, school district context, housing trends and package links.