IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Elma, IA
Elma is a tiny town of 659 people in Howard County, Iowa. It's about 52 miles from Waterloo, IA and 126 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 24°F, with about 37 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $81k and rent runs about $689 a month.
659people
$81kTypical home
$689/moRent
81° / 24°Summer / winter
37"Snow
230Sunny days
103Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 659
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 537 people per sq mi
- 126 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 52 mi to Waterloo, IA
- 36 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $81k (≈$513/mo)
- Median rent $689/mo
- Median household income $44k
- Property tax about 1.5% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 81°F
- Winter highs around 24°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
- 103 days a year with rain or snow
- 37" of snow a year
- 13 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 46 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (222 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (307 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 44
- 28% of households have kids
- 26% are 65 or older
- 14% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 25 min
- 6% walk or take transit to work
- 45 mi to MCW airport
- 119 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 122 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 89% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1943
- 79% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Gently rolling terrain
- Elevation 1,191 ft
- 759 mi to the ocean
- 128 mi to a big lake
- 40 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 69 mi to the nearest ski area
- 9 mi to the nearest campground
- 10 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 20 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 4 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 10 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 30 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 44% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 15 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 49 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 18 mi to the nearest vet
- 20 mi to the nearest dog park
- 16 congregations per 10k people
- 36 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Howard County: R+32 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk