BridgewaterIA
A town of 141, settled in 1885.
Is Bridgewater a good place to live?
Among 138 Iowa towns, just 1 have a lower median rent than Bridgewater. Bridgewater has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
141 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Bridgewater: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bridgewater, 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 Bridgewater.
Bridgewater has 0.2 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Bridgewater for work: only 0% work in town. 17% of Bridgewater residents live below the poverty line, above both Iowa’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Since 2013, Bridgewater has lost 55 jobs, to 13 in 2023.
| Bridgewater | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer young adults than Iowa overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 28% of residents (18% statewide). Bridgewater has lost 3.4% of its people since 2020, down to 141 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Bridgewater | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41.9 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 25% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 33% and 61% women
The Census survey reached too few of Bridgewater’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14.3 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Bridgewater | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 20.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.4% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 21.3% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 10.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.7% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 100, single groups can be off by several points
In Bridgewater, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Bridgewater has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Bridgewater faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by cold waves
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Bridgewater is
Bridgewater beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 40% of Bridgewater adults have high blood pressure, above both the Iowa town median (35%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 19% of Bridgewater adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Bridgewater | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Bridgewater | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.8% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 86.6% | 84.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Bridgewater has set aside 0.7% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 6 have a lower share of conserved land than Bridgewater.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bridgewater City Park | — | 2 |
| 2. Bridgewater Dump Station | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Bridgewater
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Bridgewater; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Bridgewater residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
100% of working residents leave Bridgewater for work
Where Bridgewater’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Bridgewater
City in Iowa, United States
Bridgewater is a city in Jackson Township, Adair County, Iowa, United States. The population was 148 at the time of the 2020 census. Bridgewater was founded in 1885.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1885
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,220 ft
- ZIP code
- 50837
- Area code
- 641
Questions about Bridgewater
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bridgewater, IA a good place to live?
Bridgewater has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.