IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Big small town

Living in Charles City, IA

Charles City is a big small town of 7,232 people in Floyd County, Iowa. It's about 43 miles from Waterloo, IA and 134 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 38 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $115k and rent runs about $735 a month.

7,232people
$115kTypical home
$735/moRent
82° / 25°Summer / winter
38"Snow
230Sunny days
111Rain/snow days

Is Charles City right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Big small town of 7,232
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,181 people per sq mi
  • 134 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 43 mi to Waterloo, IA
  • 26 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $115k (≈$728/mo)
  • Median rent $735/mo
  • Median household income $59k
  • Property tax about 1.5% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 82°F
  • Winter highs around 25°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
  • 230 sunny days a year (77 totally clear)
  • 135 cloudy days a year
  • 41 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 111 days a year with rain or snow
  • 38" of snow a year
  • 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 44 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • About average violent crime (331 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (554 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 42
  • 21% of households have kids
  • 24% are 65 or older
  • 13% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 17 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 34 mi to MCW airport
  • 117 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 132 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 80% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1960
  • 83% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 991 ft
  • 776 mi to the ocean
  • 144 mi to a big lake
  • 30 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 82 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 7 mi to the nearest campground
  • 10 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 27 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 6 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 10 museums within 25 mi
  • No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 38 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the bottom 12% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 46 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 14 mi to the nearest vet
  • 17 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 14 congregations per 10k people
  • 25 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Floyd County: R+26 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Charles City

More places in Iowa →