AureliaIowaPopPlot, 2021
Aurelia’s story
156 years in pictures
Census counts: 225 in 1880, 968 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
- 1870Aurelia is settled
Population
935
2025 Census estimate · −3.4% since 2020
Typical home
$176K
+2.1% in a year
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
52.0
years
Jobs based here
238
A commuter town
Is Aurelia a good place to live?
31% of residents are 65 or older in Aurelia, above both Iowa’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Among 141 Iowa towns, just 1 have a higher median age than Aurelia. Aurelia has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
935 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 Aurelia: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Aurelia, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of AureliaEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterAurelia Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet7 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereCherokee County AuditorCherokee County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code5100551005 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 Aurelia.
Work & commute
Most of Aurelia’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Aurelia for work: only 6% work in town. 4.5% of Aurelia residents live below the poverty line, against 11% in Iowa’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Aurelia fell to 238 in 2023, 89 fewer than in 2013.
6%work in town
| Aurelia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Aurelia6%
Cherokee18%
Storm Lake17%
Sioux City5%
Alta4%
14 mi
median commute distance
238
jobs based in Aurelia
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Schools
The schools Aurelia’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Alta-Aurelia Community School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta-Aurelia Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 228 | A− |
| Aurelia Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 124 | A |
NCES · EDFacts
Who lives here
Older than Iowa overall
People 65 and older are 31% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (23% statewide). Aurelia has lost 3.4% of its people since 2020, down to 935 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
52median age · IA 38.6
AureliaIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
20%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school40%
Some college22%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s18%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.8 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Aurelia | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 3.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 20.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.3% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39.8% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Housing
A larger share of households own their home in Aurelia than in most of Iowa or the rest of the country
91% of households own their home in Aurelia. The typical Aurelia home is worth about $176,000, up 2.1% in a year, 26% below the Iowa typical home. Aurelia’s median rent is $780 a month.
$176KZillow home value
| Aurelia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 91% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $780 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Aurelia$176K
Iowa$237K
+2.1%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Aurelia
Aurelia has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 9° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
38″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–29°
Spring36–58°
Summer60–81°
Fall38–60°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 4
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Health
How healthy Aurelia is
Aurelia beats the Iowa average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 28% of Aurelia adults sleep under 7 hours. Only 7 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Aurelia.
| Aurelia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
7 better24 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Aurelia | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.5% | 6.4% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.8% | 12% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.7% |
Cherokee Regional Medical Center
6.5 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Aurelia faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
48risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHailTornadoes
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Aurelia
17pages on Aurelia
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Aurelia
About 1 of every 100 Aurelia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Aurelia for work
Where Aurelia’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
238jobs based in Aurelia
6%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Aurelia
City in Iowa, USA
Aurelia is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 968 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,391 ft
- ZIP code
- 51005
- Area code
- 712
Questions about Aurelia
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Aurelia, IA a good place to live?
Aurelia has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.