IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Chariton, IA
Chariton is a small town of 4,242 people in Lucas County, Iowa. It's about 41 miles from Des Moines, IA and 146 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 31°F, with about 24 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $82k and rent runs about $689 a month.
4,242people
$82kTypical home
$689/moRent
85° / 31°Summer / winter
24"Snow
237Sunny days
117Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Small town of 4,242
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,126 people per sq mi
- 146 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 41 mi to Des Moines, IA
- 27 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $82k (≈$516/mo)
- Median rent $689/mo
- Median household income $47k
- Property tax about 1.8% of value
- 9.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 31°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 64°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (89 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 117 days a year with rain or snow
- 24" of snow a year
- 9 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 37 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (69 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (769 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 39
- 34% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 14% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 17 min
- 5% walk or take transit to work
- 40 mi to DSM airport
- 40 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 47 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 75% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1955
- 81% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,040 ft
- 754 mi to the ocean
- 260 mi to a big lake
- 64 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 41 mi to the nearest ski area
- 2 mi to the nearest campground
- 6 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 17 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 10 museums within 25 mi
- 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
- 24 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 30% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 50 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 24 mi to the nearest vet
- 37 mi to the nearest dog park
- 14 congregations per 10k people
- 33 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Lucas County: R+48 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- High flood risk
- Low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk