IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Panama, IA
Panama is a tiny town of 245 people in Shelby County, Iowa. It's about 44 miles from Omaha, NE and 186 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 86°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 31 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $142k and rent runs about $940 a month.
245people
$142kTypical home
$940/moRent
86° / 30°Summer / winter
31"Snow
244Sunny days
98Rain/snow days
Is Panama 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 245
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 842 people per sq mi
- 186 mi to Kansas City, MO
- 44 mi to Omaha, NE
- 39 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $142k (≈$897/mo)
- Median rent $940/mo
- Median household income $68k
- Property tax about 1.2% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 86°F
- Winter highs around 30°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 244 sunny days a year (89 totally clear)
- 121 cloudy days a year
- 36 of 90 winter days are gray
- 98 days a year with rain or snow
- 31" of snow a year
- 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 38 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (119 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (127 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 37
- 32% of households have kids
- 20% are 65 or older
- 21% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 1% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 19 min
- 8% walk or take transit to work
- 36 mi to OMA airport
- 36 mi to OMA (major hub)
- 40 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 89% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1951
- 90% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,326 ft
- 816 mi to the ocean
- 182 mi to a big lake
- 28 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 31 mi to the nearest ski area
- 16 mi to the nearest campground
- 8 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 21 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 3 bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 14 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 37 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 19% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 11 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 38 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 42 mi to the nearest vet
- 16 mi to the nearest dog park
- 17 congregations per 10k people
- 40 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Shelby County: R+43 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Very low 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.