BernardIA
A town of 117, settled in 1880.
Is Bernard a good place to live?
Bernard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
117 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Bernard: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bernard, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bernard.
Young adults are more common in Bernard than in Iowa
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 25%, against 31% across Iowa. Adults 18 to 34 are 37% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (37% statewide). Only 7 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower midpoint age than Bernard.
| Bernard | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 25% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.3 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Bernard | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 23.2% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 1.8% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 34.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 1.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.9% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.5% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.5% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
Most of Bernard’s workers commute out: the town has 0.2 jobs for each of them
Half commute less than 15 miles. The share of residents in Bernard who live below the poverty line: 4.5%. Also worth knowing: among 141 Iowa towns, just 10 have a higher mean commuting time than Bernard. The top destinations are Dubuque (44%), Farley (5%) and Cedar Rapids (5%).
| Bernard | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
More of Bernard’s households are owner-occupiers than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
Zillow values the typical Bernard home at about $293,000, up 6.6% in a year, 24% above the Iowa typical home.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards: high risk in Bernard, mostly inland flooding
In Bernard, the FEMA risk score is 68 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 57% come from inland flooding and 14% from tornadoes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Bernard after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2010.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The climate in Bernard brings four seasons and pleasant summers
Bernard’s peak summer temperature stands at 82°F, below both the Iowa town median (84°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bernard stands out in Iowa and nationally, with more of its adults who binge drink
16% of Bernard adults say their health is fair or poor. Among adults here, 22% get no exercise outside work, where Iowa’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 25%. In Bernard, a quarter of adults have high blood pressure, and 7.7% have diabetes. Only 2 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Bernard.
| Bernard | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 12% | 12% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | Bernard | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 7.7% | 11.2% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| More binge drinkers | 25.4% | 20.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Charles Mound and 9 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bernard. Close and well known come first.
33 mi MountainCharles Mound
15 mi MuseumNational Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium250K visitors a year22 mi MuseumChicago Athenaeum
15 mi TheatreFive Flags Center
18 mi MuseumNational Farm Toy Museum21 mi MuseumLenox CollegePhoto credits
Charles Mound: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Five Flags Center: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Farm Toy Museum: Madmaxmarchhare of English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
Everything we know about Bernard
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Bernard
About 4 of every 100 Bernard residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
100% of working residents leave Bernard for work
Where Bernard’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Bernard
City in Iowa, United States
Bernard is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. The population was 114 in the 2020 census, an increase from the 97 population in 2000. Bernard is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 919 ft
- ZIP code
- 52032
Questions about Bernard
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bernard, IA a good place to live?
Bernard has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.