51540 ZIP Code, Hastings, IA

51540 is a ZIP code in Hastings, Iowa in Mills County. It covers 57 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 51551, 51533 and 51541. 372 people live here in 141 households. It is rural, with fewer than 100 people per square mile, and most homes are owner-occupied (78%). Median household income is $84,375, above the Iowa median of $75,059; the median age is 48.0, older than most ZIP codes.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents372
Households141
Median household income$84,375
Income per person$41,008
Median age48
Homeowners78.0%
Median home value$217,700
Median rent$1,309
Bachelor's degree or higher17.4%
Average commute (minutes)33.1
Households with kids under 1825.5%
Moved in the past year9.1%
Below the poverty line8.6%
Broadband internet74.5%
Speak a non-English language at home2.7%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K0.0%
$10–15K5.7%
$15–25K15.6%
$25–35K10.6%
$35–50K0.7%
$50–75K9.2%
$75–100K19.1%
$100–150K14.2%
$150–200K14.2%
$200K+10.6%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<1010.8%
10–1914.3%
20–240.8%
25–344.8%
35–4416.7%
45–5418.8%
55–649.9%
65–7413.7%
75+10.2%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage16.4%
Owned outright36.7%
Rented15.0%
Vacant31.9%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house98.1%
Townhome0.0%
2–4 units0.0%
5–19 units0.0%
20+ units0.0%
Mobile / other1.9%

Businesses in 51540

9 business establishments with 29 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

51540 has 1 USPS carrier routes with 133 residential and 3 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 51540

51540 has 1 USPS carrier routes (1 rural (R)) with 133 residential and 3 business mailboxes. Routes range from 133 homes (R301) to 133 homes (R301); the median route has 133 homes. The Census counted 141 households in 51540 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2491
250–4990
500–7490
750–9990
1,000–1,4990
1,500+0

Every carrier route in 51540

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
R301Rural1333$58,274———

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 51540 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 51540

Mail every home in 51540

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) 51540, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 51540 in?
51540 is a Hastings, IA mailing address. None of its land lies inside a Census-defined city or community.
What county is 51540 in?
51540 is in Mills County.
What is the population of 51540?
About 372 people (±107), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 469.
What is the median household income in 51540?
$84,375 (±$21,456), 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 51540?
1 USPS carrier routes with 133 residential and 3 business mailboxes (136 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 51540?
The closest, measured center to center: 51551 (5.2 mi, Malvern), 51533 (6.3 mi, Emerson), 51541 (9 mi, Henderson), 51571 (10.2 mi, Silver City), 51645 (10.6 mi, Imogene) and 51549 (11.3 mi, Macedonia).

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