W. H. Tedford House · National Register of Historic Places
Corydon’s story
174 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1887.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1852Corydon is settled
Photo: Art davis · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,711
2025 Census estimate · +12.4% since 2020
Typical home
$158K
+5.7% in a year
Household income
$51K
median
Median age
43.7
years
Jobs based here
1,014
A job hub
Is Corydon a good place to live?
Corydon’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for incomes. Only 13 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on incomes. Corydon is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 70% of U.S. towns. Only 9 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower median household income than Corydon. Corydon has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them W. H. Tedford House and Hotel Rea. Corydon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Corydon stand out
Where Corydon beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Corydon19
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IA town7.5
Civic lifeA
2.5 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Iowa town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Corydon$158K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA−
2.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 84% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
W. H. Tedford HouseHistoryB+
Settled in 1852
2 places on the National Register
A history going back 174 years.
A job hub
Every workday, about 816 people come to Corydon for work
Where Corydon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,014jobs based in Corydon
29%of working residents work in town
22 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Corydon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Corydon is from typical.
Jobs & income$51K median household incomeDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.7 of 20; 3.1% of households have no car; 3.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →HealthWayne County Hospital 0.4 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 40% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsC+Open →History2 places on the National Register; 4 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life19 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 43.7; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Corydon: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Corydon, and how to reach them.
PowerInterstate Power and Light17.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCorydon Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereWayne County AuditorWayne County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2019
ZIP code5006050060 100%Census 2020
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 Corydon.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
A job hub: Corydon has 1.5 jobs for every working resident and draws in 816 commuters
About one in 3 of Corydon’s working residents works in town. Corydon’s average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Corydon grew to 1,014 in 2023, 130 more than in 2013.
29%work in town
| Corydon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Corydon29%
Des Moines5%
Chariton4%
West Des Moines4%
Centerville4%
22 mi
median commute distance
1,014
jobs based in Corydon
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 70% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsB
Corydon’s public schools outperform 58% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Wayne Community School District. Its two schools are below.
58%of IA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 328 | B+ |
| Wayne Community Jr-Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 255 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A−
The typical home in Corydon is valued at about $158K
The typical Corydon home is worth about $158,000, up 5.7% in a year, 33% below the Iowa typical home. Corydon’s median rent is $776 a month, near the Iowa town median ($911 a month) and below the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
$158KZillow home value
| Corydon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $776 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Corydon$158K
Iowa$237K
+5.7%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthC
On CDC estimates, Corydon is less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns
Corydon beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Corydon. Only 10 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Corydon.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Corydon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
1 better26 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Corydon | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.9% |
Wayne County Hospital
0.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Corydon, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Corydon has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 14° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
29″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–36°
Spring39–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall41–63°
Oct 19
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+0.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Drought leads a moderate hazard risk in Corydon
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities.
40risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingTornadoes
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC+
0% of Corydon is conserved land
0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Walden Park, at 34 acres.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 870 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walden Park | — | 34 |
| 2. Wayne Community High School | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Corydon
18pages on Corydon
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Corydon; the nearest are
Graceland University-LamoniUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Lamoni33.3 mi$20,950 tuitionNorth Central Missouri CollegeCommunity college · Public · Trenton, MO49.5 mi$5,370 in-state tuitionTruman State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Kirksville, MO55.2 mi$9,838 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Corydon residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Famous people from Corydon
4 notable people were born in Corydon.
About Corydon
City in Iowa, USA
Corydon is a city in Wayne County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,526 in the 2020 census, a decline from 1,591 in 2000. It is the county seat of Wayne County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1867
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,093 ft
- ZIP code
- 50060
- Area code
- 641
Questions about Corydon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Corydon, IA a good place to live?
2.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Is Corydon, IA expensive?
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−.
What is Corydon, IA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Kathryn Marlowe and Ed Davis.