CotterIA
Today 39 people live in this town, first settled in 1890.
Is Cotter a good place to live?
35% of residents live below the poverty line in Cotter, where Iowa’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Cotter has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
39 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Cotter: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cotter, 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 Cotter.
Cotter: four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 14° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cotter stands out in Iowa and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have been diagnosed with depression
Among adults in Cotter, 13% have diabetes. Only 9 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Cotter. In Cotter, 31% of adults get no exercise outside work, and 18% binge drink.
| Cotter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 7% | 8.1% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Cotter | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 12.7% | 7.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 15.4% | 12% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.7% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Cotter faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Cotter’s FEMA hazard score is 59 of 100. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 34% come from inland flooding and 19% from strong winds.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Cotter
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Cotter; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Cotter residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
About Cotter
City in Iowa, United States
Cotter is a city in western Louisa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 39 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 712 ft
Questions about Cotter
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Cotter, IA a good place to live?
Cotter has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.