Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
47% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
The best of Avoca’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for history; the weakest is a C− for walkability. On walkability, just 16 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Avoca has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Pottawattamie County Sub Courthouse and Graceland Cemetery Chapel. Avoca has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Avoca beats most towns.
Pottawattamie County Sub Courthouse1,506 counted in 2010 and 1,683 in 2020; an estimated 1,661 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Avoca is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,627 in 1900, 1,683 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 3 maps from 1963 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Avoca, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Avoca.
Its public schools are run by the AHSTW Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHSTW Primary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 280 | B+ |
| AHSTW High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 205 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
28% of Avoca residents are 65 or older, above both Iowa’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). The median age in Avoca is 49.3 years. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Avoca | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 28% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 49.3 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 18% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Avoca | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.6% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.6% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.9% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.8% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.6% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,700, single groups can be off by several points
Avoca has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Avoca for work: only 16% work in town. Avoca’s average trip to work is 24 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. 7% of Avoca residents live below the poverty line.
| Avoca | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 7.2% | 8.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Avoca beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 35% of adults feel lonely in Avoca.
| Avoca | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Avoca | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.9% | 11.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.7% | 77.8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.9% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Avoca.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Avoca’s median rent is $850 a month.
| Avoca | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $850 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest place to walk is Eddington Memorial Park, 33 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eddington Memorial Park | 1 mi | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Avoca; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Avoca residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
4 places in Avoca on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Avoca.
City in Iowa, United States
Avoca (Irish: Abhóca, meaning 'the meeting of the waters') is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,683 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
47% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
4 notable people were born here, including Richard Beymer and Edwin T. Meredith.
