Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town settled in 1871, now home to 92 people.
Carpenter’s typical journey to work is 32 minutes, above both the Iowa town median (19 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Among 141 Iowa towns, just one has a higher median age than Carpenter. Nels Severson Barn is on the National Register of Historic Places. Carpenter 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.
Census counts: 121 in 1910, a peak of 177 in 1960, 87 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Carpenter, 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 Carpenter.
Federal aid has come to Carpenter households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2008. FEMA puts 41% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 28% to strong winds. Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in just over four fifths of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Summers in Carpenter are pleasant, and winters cold, snowy. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 7° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
30% of adults in Carpenter sleep under 7 hours; 19% have been diagnosed with depression. Of 32 CDC measures, Carpenter beats the Iowa average on 4 and trails it on 1. Among adults here, 21% binge drink.
| Carpenter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Carpenter | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 9.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carpenter. Close and well known come first.
18 mi MuseumSpam Museum
20 mi MuseumMacNider Art Museum
19 mi MuseumJay C. Hormel Nature Center
20 mi City parkEast ParkSpam Museum: Darb02, CC BY-SA 4.0 · MacNider Art Museum: Gcardinal101, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jay C. Hormel Nature Center: Julie Champlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · East Park: TLCIowa, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Carpenter; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Carpenter residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Iowa, United States
Carpenter is a city in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. The population was 87 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.
Carpenter has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
