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Neighborhood Profile
ZIP Code 51565 — Portsmouth, IA
A snapshot of the people, housing, and geography behind the postal code 51565. A sparsely populated rural ZIP in Shelby, Iowa.
About ZIP 51565
ZIP code 51565 serves Portsmouth in Shelby, Iowa. It centers near 41.6484°, -95.5108° and, by population, qualifies as a sparsely populated rural ZIP. Roughly 530 people are estimated to live within its boundaries based on the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2018–2022).
The median household earns about $95,308 per year here. The typical owner-occupied home is valued near $121,800, and asking rents on the open market sit around $764 per month. Compared to the rest of Iowa, that makes 51565 in line with the state average. Looking at the entire state, the average ZIP code reports a median income closer to $64,118 and a median home value of $135,295.
The median resident is around 48.8 years old, and roughly 8.9% of the population holds at least a bachelor's degree.
Cost of living read
If you're considering a move into 51565, the most useful exercise is to compare the housing math against your current ZIP. Here, a typical home runs $121,800 and a typical rental runs $764 a month. Translate that into your own budget:
- At a 7% 30-year mortgage with 20% down, financing the median home here lands monthly principal & interest near $648 — before property tax, insurance, or HOA dues.
- Renting the median unit at $764/mo costs roughly $9,168 per year, or about 9.6% of the local median household income.
- For movers from substantially cheaper or more expensive metros, the home-value gap ($13,495 versus the state average of $135,295) is often the single biggest line item to plan for.
Who lives here
The age and education profile of a ZIP tells you a lot about what daily life feels like there. With a median age of 48.8 and a population of 530, ZIP 51565 reads as a more mature, established neighborhood with fewer young children. The bachelor's-degree share around 8.9% is on the lower end, often reflecting trade-economy or rural labor markets.
Geography & nearby ZIPs
This ZIP centers at 41.6484, -95.5108. The eight closest neighboring ZIP codes are listed below — useful if you're scoping out the surrounding area, comparing schools, or just want a feel for the broader neighborhood than this one boundary captures.
How to use this profile
Treat ZipLocal Guide as a starting point — never the final word — when you're researching a relocation. The Census ACS data on this page are reliable medians for the ZIP code tabulation area, but they tell you nothing about which side of the freeway you should live on, which streets the local high schoolers actually walk to school, or how the neighborhood has changed since the 2022 estimate window. For those, walk the area, talk to people on the street, and verify your assumptions with a local agent or community group.
If you find this neighborhood interesting, the easiest next step is to view all ZIPs in Portsmouth or browse the rest of Iowa.