Sun Valley Lake, Iowa Demographics & Population 2026

A note before these figures: with a population of 163, Sun Valley Lake's ACS estimates come from a small number of survey responses and carry wide margins of error. Individual percentages below — particularly rates that round to 0% or 100% — are approximations, not precise measurements. See data.census.gov for the published margins of error.

Population Overview

Sun Valley Lake is a small community located in Iowa, within Ringgold County. The total population is 163. It ranks as the 746th most populous out of 1,017 Census-designated places in Iowa.

Age Demographics

The median age in Sun Valley Lake is 72.0 years. This is 87% higher than the state median of 38.6 years. 22.1% of residents are 75 or older, suggesting a significant retirement-age population with implications for healthcare services and senior housing.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Sun Valley Lake is $135,521. This is 81% higher than the state median of $75,059. It is also 68% higher than the national median of $80,734. The ACS records no residents below the poverty line in Sun Valley Lake. In a community this small the estimate rests on very few survey responses, so it should be read as an absence of measurement rather than a measured absence of poverty. The survey records no unemployed residents in Sun Valley Lake, which reflects the size of the sample rather than a labor market without joblessness. The median home value is $637,000. Housing costs are 206% higher than the state median of $208,000. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.7x. 100.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 39% higher than the state average of 71.7%.

Race & Ethnicity

Sun Valley Lake has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 93.9% of all residents.

Education

60.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This places Sun Valley Lake in the top 10% of all cities in the state for educational attainment. This is 91% higher than the state rate of 31.4%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 97.5%. Notably, 19.6% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All demographic data for Sun Valley Lake, Iowa is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates. The ACS collects data from approximately 3.5 million households annually and pools five years of responses so that even small communities can be measured, though the margin of error widens as the population falls. Comparisons are made against Iowa state averages and national averages calculated from the same dataset. Rankings reflect the city's position among all 1,017 Census-designated places in Iowa. Read more about how these figures are produced on our methodology page, or visit data.census.gov for official data.