IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Watkins, IA
Watkins is a tiny town of 201 people in Benton County, Iowa. It's about 16 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA and 220 miles from Milwaukee, WI, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 28°F, with about 28 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $156k and rent runs about $826 a month.
201people
$156kTypical home
$826/moRent
83° / 28°Summer / winter
28"Snow
233Sunny days
97Rain/snow days
Is Watkins 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 201
- Part of a metro area
- About 486 people per sq mi
- 220 mi to Milwaukee, WI
- 16 mi to Cedar Rapids, IA
- 16 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $156k (≈$981/mo)
- Median rent $826/mo
- Median household income $96k
- Property tax about 0.7% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 28°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
- 233 sunny days a year (86 totally clear)
- 132 cloudy days a year
- 41 of 90 winter days are gray
- 97 days a year with rain or snow
- 28" of snow a year
- 10 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 37 nights a year below 10°F
- Breezy
Safety
- Very low violent crime (136 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (311 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 19
- 45% of households have kids
- 16% are 65 or older
- 21% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 4% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 1% walk or take transit to work
- 14 mi to CID airport
- 90 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 64 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 86% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1985
- 92% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 846 ft
- 801 mi to the ocean
- 170 mi to a big lake
- 22 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 72 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 21 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 264 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 38 bars within 25 mi
- 68 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 23 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 14 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 23% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 9 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 19 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 15 mi to the nearest vet
- 14 mi to the nearest dog park
- 11 congregations per 10k people
- 18 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Benton County: R+33 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
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Limited data: this place is small enough that most of its Census numbers (rent, home value, income, age) are blended with county figures. Treat its match as a rough guide.