Ashton Iowa, 2013
Ashton’s story
145 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1881Ashton is settled
AshtonIA
A town of 428, settled in 1881.
Population
428
2025 Census estimate · −4.5% since 2020
Typical home
$180K
+7.6% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
43.1
years
Jobs based here
37
A commuter town
Is Ashton a good place to live?
Among 141 Iowa towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Ashton. The biggest park or preserve is Ashton Wayside Park, at 22 acres. Ashton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
428 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ashton: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ashton, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAshton Municipal Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ashton’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereOsceola County AuditorOsceola County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code5123251232 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ashton.
Work & commute
A smaller share of working residents work locally in Ashton than in most of Iowa or the rest of the country
1.5% of Ashton working residents work locally, below both Iowa’s towns (31%) and U.S. towns (8%). Ashton’s median household income is $57,000. The top destinations are Sibley (15%), Sheldon (8%) and Ocheyedan (5%).
1%work in town
| Ashton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.5% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Ashton1%
Sibley15%
Sheldon8%
Ocheyedan5%
Worthington5%
20 mi
median commute distance
37
jobs based in Ashton
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Housing
Homes in Ashton are worth about $180K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Ashton home is worth about $180,000, up 7.6% in a year, 24% below the Iowa typical home. 88% of Ashton households own their home, above both the Iowa town median (70%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
$180KZillow home value
| Ashton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $900 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Ashton$180K
Iowa$237K
+7.6%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Ashton
Ashton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 7° and about 42 inches of snow falls in a winter.
42″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–28°
Spring34–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall37–59°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 5
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Low risk in Ashton, with hail at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ashton since 2024.
38risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HailInland floodingCold waves
1
paid flood claims since 2024
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Ashton is
Ashton tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. 18% of Ashton adults smoke cigarettes.
| Ashton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Osceola Community Hospital
6.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Ashton has set aside 3.8% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
3.8%conserved
3.8%
conserved · 27 of 724 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ashton Wayside Park | — | 22 |
| 2. West Ashton Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ashton
18pages on Ashton
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ashton
About 2 of every 100 Ashton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Ashton for work
Where Ashton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
37jobs based in Ashton
1%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Ashton
City in Iowa, USA
Ashton is a city in Osceola County, Iowa, United States. The population was 436 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,457 ft
- ZIP code
- 51232
- Area code
- 712
Questions about Ashton
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ashton, IA a good place to live?
Ashton has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Ashton, IA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Lewis C. Beebe and George F. Veenker.