CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

43.45° N · 95.09° W · GEOID 1959655

Orleans

Dickinson County, Iowa · part of the Spirit Lake, IA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IowaOrleans, IAOrleansOrleans

The short answer

Orleans is home to 527 people. Median household income is $74,750 a year and median rent is $961 a month, 15.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $573,200, about 7.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$961
30% below the median place
Median household income
$74,750
7% below the median place
Median home value
$573,200
79% above the median place
Unemployment
3.0%
39% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Orleans

  • 56% of homes stand vacant, more than in 99% of the 1,415 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 65 Iowa places.
  • Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Iowa places.
  • The median resident is 60.3 years old, older than in 98% of places its size. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places.
  • Households average 1.93 people, smaller than in 96% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Iowa places.
  • The median home is worth 7.7 years of the median household's income, more than in 95% of places its size. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places.
01

Moving to Orleans

Dickinson County gains about 4.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in964
Moved out894
Net+70

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Iowa, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IowaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$88K
Leavers$69K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Dickinson County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Dickinson County report $88,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $68,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$38,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $961 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,990 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $573,200.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 10.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Prescott, AZ matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7
4.4
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7
$88,429
25% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureOrleansAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.7%18% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure4.4above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$88,42925% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$68,8932% below
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 0.0%, below the median place (median 50.6%).

Orleans15.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$38,440
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
15.4%
25% below the median place
Home price to income
7.7x
102% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
15%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$63,500
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Orleans, $961 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Orleans.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Orleans? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
0.0%
below the median place (median 50.6%)
Vacant homes1
56.3%
above the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
91.9%
38% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureOrleansAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$96130% below
Rent to income115.4%25% below
Property tax rate10.8%14% below
Home price to income17.7x102% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,09132% below
HUD area median income3County figure$110,1003% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,49238% above
Median home value1$573,20079% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.7%110% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure59.6%16% above
Homeownership191.9%38% above
Renters paying 30%+10.0%below (median 50.6%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9906% above
Vacant homes156.3%above (median 7.1%)
Median year built119730% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$66,223
65% above the median place
Mean commute1
20 min
20% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureOrleansAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$74,7507% below
Income per person1$66,22365% above
Unemployment1County figure3.0%39% below
Average annual pay5County figure$47,95427% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure2.8%24% below
Jobs5County figure9,79493% below
Poverty rate1County figure7.6%30% below
Mean commute120 min20% below
Works from home1County figure10.4%16% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 60.3, 55% above the median place.

Median age1
60.3
55% above the median place
Household size1
1.9
23% below the median place
Population change since 20206
-5.2%
below the median place (median 1.1%)

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher43.2% +35%
High school or higher91.7% −1%
Homes with broadband91.9% −0%
All 9 people measures
MeasureOrleansAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15276646th largest
Population change since 20206-5.2%below (median 1.1%)
Median age160.355% above
Bachelor's or higher143.2%35% above
High school or higher191.7%1% below
Household size11.923% below
Born abroad1County figure1.2%86% below
No health insurance1County figure2.6%59% below
Homes with broadband191.9%0% below
05

Life in Orleans

12 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars45.0 2.2×
Shops58.4 +93%
Arts, recreation and fitness16.1 3.9×
Doctors' offices and clinics22.8 +13%
Child care centers1.7 −26%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Restaurants and bars per 10k8
45.0
116% above the median place
Shops per 10k8
58.4
93% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
16.1
293% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureOrleansAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure90% above
Public school students10County figure3,00539% below
Students per teacher10County figure13.711% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure45.0116% above
Shops per 10k8County figure58.493% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure16.1293% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure22.813% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure1.726% below
National Register listings9County figure128% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 7°F, 73% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Orleans. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low11
7°F
73% below the median place
Natural hazard risk12
36.3
61% below the median place
Heat wave risk12
31.5
65% below the median place
All 8 weather and risk measures
MeasureOrleansAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure83°F5% below
January average low11County figure7°F73% below
Average temperature11County figure46°F17% below
Annual precipitation11County figure30.7 in30% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure36.361% below
Tornado risk12County figure64.021% below
Wildfire risk12County figure54.211% below
Heat wave risk12County figure31.565% below
08

Orleans in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, up from 15% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$961/mo (2023)$1,250/mo$1,010 to $1,550/mo+3.8%
Median household income$74,750 (2024)$93,500$79,000 to $111,000+3.8%
Median home value$573,200 (2024)$810,000$588,000 to $1,116,000+5.9%
Population493 (2025)480460 to 500−0.4%

The median home would be worth 8.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 7.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Orleans

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Prescott, AZ$1,395$70,874Compare
North Myrtle Beach, SC$1,263$72,722Compare
Belfast, ME$962$67,679Compare
Hardeeville, SC$1,406$78,365Compare
Hardeeville, SCBelfast, MENorth Myrtle Beach, SCPrescott, AZOrleans, IAOrleansPrescottNorth Myrtle BeachBelfastHardeevilleOrleansPrescottNorth Myrtle BeachBelfastHardeeville

Common questions

Is Orleans a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 56% of homes stand vacant, more than in 99% of the 1,415 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 65 Iowa places. Only 0% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 98% of places its size. It is the lowest of 82 Iowa places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Orleans expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 15.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $573,200.

What salary do you need to live in Orleans?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $38,440 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Orleans?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Prescott, AZ, North Myrtle Beach, SC, Belfast, ME and Hardeeville, SC.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Orleans with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Orleans itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/orleans-iowa

Citytistics. “Orleans, Iowa.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/orleans-iowa/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.