IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Elkhart, IA
Elkhart is a tiny town of 899 people in Polk County, Iowa. It's about 16 miles from Des Moines, IA and 192 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 29°F, with about 29 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $254k and rent runs about $993 a month.
899people
$254kTypical home
$993/moRent
85° / 29°Summer / winter
29"Snow
237Sunny days
105Rain/snow days
Is Elkhart right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 899
- Part of a metro area
- About 477 people per sq mi
- 192 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 16 mi to Des Moines, IA
- 6 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $254k (≈$1,601/mo)
- Median rent $993/mo
- Median household income $85k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 85°F
- Winter highs around 29°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (89 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 105 days a year with rain or snow
- 29" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 37 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- About average violent crime (356 per 100k), county-wide
- About average property crime (1,897 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 33
- 37% of households have kids
- 11% are 65 or older
- 32% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 25 min
- 2% walk or take transit to work
- 19 mi to DSM airport
- 19 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 67 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 73% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 2005
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 978 ft
- 809 mi to the ocean
- 230 mi to a big lake
- 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 14 mi to the nearest ski area
- 4 mi to the nearest campground
- 43 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 512 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 148 bars within 25 mi
- 164 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 5 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 32 museums within 25 mi
- 15 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 25 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 4% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 5 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 17 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 5 mi to the nearest vet
- 8 mi to the nearest dog park
- 6 congregations per 10k people
- 13 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Polk County: D+11 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- High flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- Moderate winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.