Dike Iowa, 2009
Dike’s story
126 years in pictures
Census counts: 286 in 1910, 1,304 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
- 1900Dike is settled
DikeIA
A town of 1,299, settled in 1900. Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
Photo: Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,299
2025 Census estimate · −0.2% since 2020
Typical home
$299K
+1.5% in a year
Household income
$91K
median
Median age
39.6
years
Jobs based here
316
A commuter town
Is Dike a good place to live?
The best of Dike’s subject grades are an A for schools and the outdoors. Only 8 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Dike. Dike is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 68% of U.S. towns. Among 138 Iowa towns, just 8 have a lower median rent than Dike. Dike’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Iowa’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. On the outdoors, just 13 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Dike has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Dike stand out
Where Dike beats most towns.
Small town
1,299 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Dike grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Dike is from typical.
SchoolsAOpen →HealthSartori Memorial Hospital 9.9 miles awayA−Open →Jobs & income$91K median household incomeB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 7.3% of households have no car; 2.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 38% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 11% conserved landAOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life5.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
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 39.6; 42% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Dike: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dike, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of DikeEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterDike Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet8 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Dike’s trash rules yet
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 hereGrundy County AuditorGrundy County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2024
ZIP code5062450624 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 Dike.
SchoolsA
Dike’s public schools outperform 93% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Dike-New Hartford Community School District. Its two schools are below.
93%of IA districts it outscoresASchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dike Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 306 | A |
| Dike-New Hartford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 294 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
HealthA−
Residents of Dike are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns
Dike beats the Iowa average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 20% of adults binge drink in Dike, where Iowa’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 16%. 15% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Dike.
76%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| Dike | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
8 better24 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Dike | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 12% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 7.3% |
Sartori Memorial Hospital
9.9 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B+
With 0.5 jobs for every working resident, most of Dike’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Dike for work: only 5% work in town. Since 2013, Dike has added 137 jobs, to 316 in 2023. 5.4% of Dike residents live below the poverty line.
5%work in town
| Dike | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $91,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Dike5%
Waterloo27%
Cedar Falls20%
Reinbeck10%
Grundy Center5%
13 mi
median commute distance
316
jobs based in Dike
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 68% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HousingCost of living grade B+
Dike’s typical home value is about $299K
The typical Dike home is worth about $299,000, up 1.5% in a year, 26% above the Iowa typical home.
$299KZillow home value
Typical home value
Dike$299K
Iowa$237K
+1.5%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
In Dike, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Dike has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 9° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
32″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–30°
Spring37–58°
Summer60–81°
Fall39–60°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
11.4%conserved
11.4%
conserved · 101 of 884 acres
2.2 mi
of trails · 1.6 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dike Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Low risk in Dike, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dike.
38risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtTornadoes
2
paid flood claims since 1979
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Nearby attractions
All 10 attractions →Lost Island Theme Park and 3 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dike. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Theme parkLost Island Theme Park
10 mi MuseumCedar Falls Ice House
16 mi GardenCedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens
32 mi MuseumGlick-Sower House
10 mi MuseumCedar Falls Ice House16 mi GardenCedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens32 mi MuseumGlick-Sower HouseSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Cedar Falls Ice House: RifeIdeas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens: Cedarvalleyarboretum, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Glick-Sower House: Daniel Hartwig, CC BY 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Dike
18pages on Dike
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dike
University of Northern IowaUniversity or college · Public · Cedar Falls9.2 mi$9,936 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Dike residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
95% of working residents leave Dike for work
Where Dike’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
316jobs based in Dike
5%of working residents work in town
13 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Dike
City in Iowa, USA
Dike is a city in Grundy County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,304 at the 2020 census, an increase of 38% over the total of 944 residents in 2000. It is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1901
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 945 ft
- ZIP code
- 50624
Questions about Dike
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Dike, IA a good place to live?
Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
Is Dike, IA expensive?
Not for the area. That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($70,811 across the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.