50436 ZIP Code, Forest City, IA

50436 is a ZIP code in Forest City, Iowa — mostly in Winnebago County (58% of its land), with smaller parts in Hancock County. It covers 135 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 50432, 50453 and 50438. 5,771 people live here in 2,335 households. It is rural, with fewer than 100 people per square mile, and most homes are owner-occupied (70%). Median household income is $74,940, close to the Iowa median of $75,059.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents5,771
Households2,335
Median household income$74,940
Income per person$41,737
Median age36.9
Homeowners70.0%
Median home value$167,900
Median rent$739
Bachelor's degree or higher27.7%
Average commute (minutes)12.5
Households with kids under 1830.3%
Moved in the past year16.6%
Below the poverty line11.2%
Broadband internet89.6%
Speak a non-English language at home8.0%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K3.1%
$10–15K3.0%
$15–25K9.6%
$25–35K8.9%
$35–50K9.1%
$50–75K16.4%
$75–100K16.1%
$100–150K18.4%
$150–200K7.3%
$200K+8.1%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<1010.0%
10–1917.5%
20–247.6%
25–3412.4%
35–4415.0%
45–5410.4%
55–649.2%
65–7411.9%
75+5.9%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage35.3%
Owned outright29.8%
Rented27.7%
Vacant7.2%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house72.3%
Townhome2.0%
2–4 units6.2%
5–19 units8.9%
20+ units1.7%
Mobile / other9.0%

Businesses in 50436

140 business establishments with 4,531 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

50436 has 7 USPS carrier routes with 2,383 residential and 169 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 50436

50436 has 7 USPS carrier routes (3 city (C), 4 rural (R)) with 2,383 residential and 169 business mailboxes. Routes range from 136 homes (R004) to 558 homes (C002); the median route has 432 homes. The Census counted 2,335 households in 50436 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2493
250–4993
500–7491
750–9990
1,000–1,4990
1,500+0

Best routes in 50436 for…

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

  1. Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 94, 477 homes
  2. Route R002 — USPS business mailboxes 24, 432 homes
  3. Route C003 — USPS business mailboxes 22, 181 homes
  4. Route R003 — USPS business mailboxes 19, 436 homes
  5. Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 6, 558 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 50436

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
C001City47794$100,000———
C002City5586$53,121———
C003City18122$48,831———
R002Rural43224$72,024———
R003Rural43619$72,024———
R004Rural1360$76,902———
R005Rural1634$100,000———

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 50436 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

Areas that include 50436

Mail every home in 50436

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 50436, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 50436 in?
50436 is a Forest City, IA mailing address. By land area, 3% lies inside Forest City; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 50436 in?
50436 is mostly in Winnebago County (58% of its land), with smaller parts in Hancock County.
What is the population of 50436?
About 5,771 people (±346), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 5,816.
What is the median household income in 50436?
$74,940 (±$10,585), compared with $75,059 for Iowa as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 50436?
7 USPS carrier routes with 2,383 residential and 169 business mailboxes (2,549 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 50436?
The closest, measured center to center: 50432 (6.1 mi, Crystal Lake), 50453 (7.5 mi, Leland), 50438 (10.7 mi, Garner), 50484 (11.2 mi, Woden), 50478 (11.4 mi, Thompson) and 50423 (11.7 mi, Britt).

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