Mason City city, IA (Iowa) has about 27,050 residents. Workers there whose highest education is a bachelor's degree earn a median of $61,364 a year, about 65% more than workers with a high school diploma ($37,129) (Census Bureau, 2020-2024, everyone 25 and over with earnings). Median rent is $882 a month. Places are listed alphabetically or by number; MajorPays does not rank places.
Pay by education level
Bachelor's premium
+65%
Bachelor's pay over high school pay
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher
21%
Ages 25 and over
Median household income
$64,804
Census ACS 2020-2024
Housing and cost
Median rent
$882/mo
Gross rent, ACS 2020-2024
Median home value
$142,000
Owner-occupied homes
Rent as a share of bachelor's pay
17%
A year of median rent over median bachelor's earnings
Renters paying 30%+ of income
37%
Renter households
Work and people
Unemployment, bachelor's degree or higher
1.2%
Ages 25-64, ACS 2020-2024
Unemployment, high school diploma
2.1%
Ages 25-64, ACS 2020-2024
Commutes of 45 minutes or more
3%
Share of workers
Median age
42.5
Years
Households with broadband
89%
Any broadband subscription
People without health insurance
5.6%
All ages, ACS 2020-2024
Homeownership rate
66%
Occupied homes that are owner-occupied
Residents enrolled in college
3.5%
College or graduate school, age 3 and over
Workers who work from home
4.3%
Workers 16 and over
Veterans among adults
8.7%
Civilian adults 18 and over
Poverty rate
12.0%
Share of people below the poverty level, ACS 2020-2024
Colleges in Mason City
The federal directory lists 2 colleges with a campus here, in alphabetical order; MajorPays does not rank colleges. Each name links to the college’s profile.
| College | Type | Level | Students, fall 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| La James College of Hairstyling and Cosmetology | Private for-profit | 2-year | 56 |
| North Iowa Area Community College | Public | 2-year | 2,662 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS directory (HD 2024, city of the campus, matched to the Census place by name) and Fall Enrollment 2024 (total headcount). A student count is the size of a college, not its quality; the Department has not endorsed this presentation.
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Sources: pay by education, income, rent, home value, rent burden, commute times, median age, broadband, health insurance, home ownership, poverty, college enrollment, working from home and veterans from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (Tables B20004, B15003, B19013, B25064, B25077, B25070, B08303, B01002, B28002, B27010, B25003, B17001, B14001, B08301, B21001 and B23006; earnings are published medians for everyone 25 and over with earnings, so they include part-time workers and run lower than full-time figures; median earnings, income, rent and home values are shown only when their margin of error is at most 20%; shares such as rent burden, commutes and broadband are shown only when their margin of error is at most 7 percentage points, and median age only when its margin is at most 20%, and unemployment rates by education level only when their margin of error is at most 2.5 percentage points, so small areas often show none; rent as a share of bachelor's pay is MajorPays' calculation). Cities and towns are Census places, which include some unincorporated communities (census designated places). MajorPays selected and reorganized these figures; none of these agencies has approved or endorsed this presentation. Figures describe an area as a whole, not any person in it. See Data sources for each dataset's terms.