ZIP Code Tabulation Area

50401

Mason City, IA · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
28,703
Median household income
$66,072
People below poverty
11.4%
Median home value
$146,500

Income

The median income of households in 50401 was $66,072. An estimated 2.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 5.3% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 2.7
$10,000 to $14,999 4.9
$15,000 to $24,999 9.2
$25,000 to $34,999 8.8
$35,000 to $49,999 13.7
$50,000 to $74,999 18.2
$75,000 to $99,999 14.1
$100,000 to $149,999 17.3
$150,000 to $199,999 5.8
$200,000 or more 5.3

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 60376
Female 45706

An estimated 74.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 35.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 28.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,189. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 74.2
Social Security 35.7
Retirement income 28.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 3.6
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 11.4 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 16.1% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 8.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.7% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 11.4
Children under 18 years below poverty 16.1
People 65 years old and over below poverty 8.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.7

In 2020-2024, 9.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 45.7% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 40.1% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 32.3% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 50401 in 2020-2024, 94.6% had health insurance coverage and 5.4% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 68.8% and public coverage was 43.8%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.3%.


In 2020-2024, 50401 had a total population of 28,703 - 14,731 (51.3%) females and 13,972 (48.7%) males. The median age was 42.2 years. An estimated 21.1% of the population was under 18 years, 29.5% was 19 to 44 years, 24.7% was 45 to 64 years, and 22.6 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for 50401 in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 803 706
5 to 9 677 872
10 to 14 924 958
15 to 19 995 753
20 to 24 859 796
25 to 29 820 953
30 to 34 760 802
35 to 39 931 790
40 to 44 1018 743
45 to 49 729 791
50 to 54 874 869
55 to 59 722 848
60 to 64 1020 1208
65 to 69 867 1043
70 to 74 944 941
75 to 79 389 664
80 to 84 308 488
85 and over 332 506

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 86.8% were White; 3.3% were Black or African American; 5.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 1.3% were Asian; 0.4% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 6.7% of the people in 50401 were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 85.5% of the people in 50401 were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 13,321 households in 50401. The average household size was 2.09 people.

Married-couple households made up 43.6% of the households in 50401 while cohabiting couple households made up 8.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.9% of all households, while 20% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.6% of households were male householders living alone, and 19.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 35.4% of all households.

In 50401, 25% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 34.1% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 43.6
Cohabiting Couples 8.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 52.3% of males and 49.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 32.6 26.1
Now married, except separated 52.3 49.7
Separated 0.6 1.2
Widowed 2.9 10.5
Divorced 11.7 12.6

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In 50401, 199 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 30.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 96.8% of the people living in 50401 were U.S. natives. 74.9% of the 50401 population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 3.2% of 50401 residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 39.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 62.6 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of 50401 come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for 50401.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 29.4
Asia 28.8
Europe 8.4
Africa 11.5
Northern America 0.4
Oceania 21.4

Language

Among people at least five years old living in 50401 in 2020-2024, 4.6 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.3% of people at least five years old; 1.2% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.3
Other Indo-European languages 0.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.2
Other languages 0.2

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 87.1 % of the people at least one year old living in 50401 were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 87.1
Different house, same county 7.3
Different county, same state 3.3
Different state 1.8
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 93.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 21.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 6.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in 50401 was 5,583 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 373 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 4,274. College or graduate school enrollment was 936.

Educational Attainment of People in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 6.1
High school diploma or equivalency 36.6
Some college, no degree 20.8
Associate's degree 15
Bachelor's degree 14
Graduate or professional degree 7.4

Disability

In 50401, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 3% of people under 18 years old, to 11.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 31.3% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In 50401, 61.7 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 84.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 10.7% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 12,207 84.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,549 10.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 722 5

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in 50401 worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 2.4
Construction 4.5
Manufacturing 16
Wholesale trade 3
Retail trade 16.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.1
Information 2
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.7
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 23.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9
Other Services, except public administration 4
Public administration 3.1

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in 50401 in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 4,185 28.8
Service occupations 2,696 18.6
Sales and office occupations 3,242 22.3
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 1,197 8.2
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 3,190 22

Commuting to Work

An estimated 81.2% of 50401 workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 13.7 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 81.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.8
Walked 3.9
Other means 1
Worked from home 4.7

In 2020-2024, 50401 had a total of 14,875 housing units. Of these housing units, 79.7% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 18.8% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 79.7
Apartments in multi-unit structures 18.8
Mobile homes 1.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

4.3% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 29.8% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in 50401 was 5.6 rooms, and of these housing units 55% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, 50401 had 13,321 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,554 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 66.3% while renters occupied 33.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.18 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.91.

3.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 10.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 5.4% and another 16.9% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in 50401:

House Heating Fuel Used in 50401 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 81.3
Electricity 18.1
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 0.4
No fuel used 0.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in 50401 was $146,500.

Of the owner-occupied households, 59.8 % had a mortgage. 40.2% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,265 and for owners without a mortgage it was $553.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for 50401 was $875. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.