Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,593, settled in 1853. 67% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Trash & recyclingEldora gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $102K, 1.6 years of the county’s $65K median household income. It grades C− overall, 112th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its crime rate is higher than 99% of U.S. towns, with 33 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. Eldora’s violent crime rate is 12.8 per 1,000 residents, above both the Iowa town median (1.5) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Eldora's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns. Eldora has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Eldora Public Library and Hardin County Courthouse.
Where Eldora beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Eldora is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,268 in 1870, a peak of 3,553 in 1940, 2,663 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 3 maps from 1979 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Eldora, 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 Eldora.
Eldora trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Iowa Falls and other neighbors, but it reports violent crime at 5 times the Iowa rate.
Violent crime runs at 12.8 per 1,000 residents, 5 times the Iowa rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 118 to 56 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Eldora reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Eldora-New Providence Community School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eldora-New Providence Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 242 | C |
| South Hardin High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 237 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $102K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. At 1.6 years of the county’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $102K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
Eldora’s median rent is $750 a month. The typical Eldora home is worth about $102,000, down 4.1% in a year, 57% below the Iowa typical home.
| Eldora | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $750 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Eldora beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 40% of Eldora adults have high blood pressure.
| Eldora | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Eldora | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Eldora has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 10° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Eldora has about as many jobs (1,274) as working residents, but only 291 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Eldora’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Eldora is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Iowa Falls (7%), Marshalltown (4%) and Des Moines (4%).
| Eldora | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.7 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Pine Lake State Park, at 134 acres.
| Eldora | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pine Lake State Park | 0.4 mi | 134 |
| 2. Deer Park | 0.1 mi | 21 |
| 3. Twister Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Eldora
About 3 of every 100 Eldora residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
4 places in Eldora on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Eldora.
City in Iowa, USA
Eldora is a city and the county seat of Hardin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,663 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Hardin County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Eldora grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #112 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C for health, D− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
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.
7 notable people were born here, including Jonathan Hole and Polly Granzow.
