Palo Alto County, Iowa

Palo Alto County, Iowa, has 8,899 residents (July 2025 estimate). Its county seat is Emmetsburg. It uses Central Time and covers 564 sq mi (1,460 km²) of land.

Palo Alto County in Iowa

Palo Alto County and its neighbors (simplified outlines). Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Resident population, July 2025: 8,899
Land area: 564 sq mi (1,460 km²)
County seat or government: Emmetsburg
Time zone: Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
Median household income: $72,781 ± $7,482
Median home value: $123,200 ± $12,218
Median rent, with utilities: $638 ± $41
Homes lived in by their owners: 77.1% ± 2.5 points
County type: County
Metro or micro area: Outside any metro or micro areaNext to: Spencer, IA micro area, Spirit Lake, IA micro area, and Storm Lake, IA micro area
Water area: 5.57 sq mi (14.4 km²)
State: Iowa
County code (FIPS): 19147
Coordinates (central point): 43.075337, -94.669055

Open this point in the location finder

These coordinates mark a central point for the area, not a street address. Income, home value, rent and homes lived in by their owners: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, ± margin at 90% confidence; checked on October 13, 2026.

Time zones in Palo Alto County

Time zone	Local time and UTC offset	Next clock change
Central TimeAmerica/Chicago	UTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July. Enable JavaScript for the live clock.	Enable JavaScript for upcoming changes.

Near a time-zone line, check where you are with the time-zone finder. Your phone’s setting can differ.

ZIP Code areas, largest first

505364,207 people
505541,653 people
513421,385 people
505971,341 people
513581,213 people
50598818 people
50581809 people
50578633 people
50539444 people
50562377 people
50528366 people
50546356 people

All 14

50515251 people
50527106 people

14 ZIP Code areas overlap Palo Alto County. People counts are 2020–2024 estimates for each whole ZIP area. Mailing ZIPs can differ; check an address with USPS ZIP Code Lookup.

Official county information

We don’t have a website for this county yet. The US government’s local-office directory ↗ lists its offices. A geographic lookup cannot determine eligibility, tax liability or a court obligation.

Townships in Palo Alto County, largest first

All 16

People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. All townships in Iowa, by county

School districts in Palo Alto County, largest first

Emmetsburg Community School District4,626 people
Pocahontas Area Community School District4,507 people
North Union Community School District2,647 people
Graettinger-Terril Community School District2,559 people
Laurens-Marathon Community School District2,062 people
West Bend-Mallard Community School District1,770 people
Ruthven-Ayrshire Community School District1,389 people

Districts with land in the county; a district can cross county lines. People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates. A district boundary doesn’t decide which school a student attends.

Cities, towns and communities, largest first

These areas overlap the mapped boundary; an overlap does not mean that every address belongs to both.

Bordering areas, nearest first

Distances are straight lines between map points.

Emmet County, Iowa21 mi north
Pocahontas County, Iowa24 mi south
Clay County, Iowa24 mi west
Kossuth County, Iowa25 mi northeast
Humboldt County, Iowa31 mi southeast
Buena Vista County, Iowa33 mi southwest
Dickinson County, Iowa34 mi northwest

Before using this answer on a form

Use a precise point for address-level questions. A device accuracy circle can cross a boundary; confirm tax, voting or jury details with the responsible office.

Find the county where you are now, check its ZIP area, or check the time zone where you are.

See this county on Census.gov ↗

Areas that only touch the edge

These areas meet the boundary only along a sliver. Most addresses here are not in them; for an address near the line, check with the county.