173 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2022 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
- 1853Big Rock is settled
Each edition grades its towns against each other only.

Settled in 1853, this town now has 6 residents.
50% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Big Rock, above both Iowa’s towns (25%) and U.S. towns (29%). No town among the 141 in Iowa we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Big Rock. Big Rock has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2022 and 4 maps from 1892 on.
Big Rock is unincorporated, so Clinton County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Big Rock.
Summer afternoons peak near 84° in July, and January nights bottom out around 13°; snowfall runs to about 40 inches a winter. Expect cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers in Big Rock.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Big Rock does better than the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4. In Big Rock, 21% of adults binge drink. Two in five adults locally have obesity; 33% sleep under 7 hours.
| Big Rock | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Big Rock | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.3% | 66.6% |
| More adults with arthritis | 31.5% | 27% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On expected storm and flood damage, Big Rock sits below 54% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 59% come from inland flooding and 19% from drought.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Big Rock; the nearest are
College town 50 of every 100 Big Rock residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Census-designated place in Iowa, United States
Big Rock is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Scott and Clinton counties, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, Big Rock had a population of 49. The community is named for a large boulder.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Big Rock has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.