Timothy Davis House · National Register of Historic Places
Elkader’s story
180 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1800.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1846Elkader is settled
ElkaderIA
A regional job hub with 1,140 jobs.
Photo: Kevin Schuchmann · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,183
2025 Census estimate · −2.6% since 2020
Typical home
$174K
+12.6% in a year
Household income
$63K
median
Median age
40.5
years
Jobs based here
1,140
A job hub
Is Elkader a good place to live?
Elkader’s best subject grades are an A for walkability, history, and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 7 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on hazard risk. Elkader’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, above both the Iowa town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Elkader has 9 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Elkader Keystone Bridge and St. Joseph Church and Parish Hall. On the outdoors, just 19 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Elkader has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Elkader stand out
Where Elkader beats most towns.
How Elkader grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Elkader is from typical.
Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listDOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 5.6% of households have no car; 9.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitAOpen →Jobs & income$63K median household incomeCOpen →Cost of livingB+Open →SchoolsCOpen →HealthMercyone Elkader Medical Center 0.6 miles awayCOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trails; 2% conserved landAOpen →History6 notable people born hereAOpen →Civic life27.8 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 40.5; 26% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Elkader: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elkader, and how to reach them.
PowerInterstate Power and Light17.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterElkader Muni Water DeptNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Elkader’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 hereClayton County AuditorClayton County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5204352043 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 Elkader.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With 2.3 jobs for every working resident, Elkader draws in 1,011 commuters
About one in 4 of Elkader’s working residents works in town. At 17 minutes, Elkader’s average trip to work is below both Iowa’s towns (19 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Prairie du Chien (5%), Guttenberg (4%) and Manchester (3%).
26%work in town
| Elkader | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Elkader26%
Prairie du Chien5%
Guttenberg4%
Manchester3%
Garnavillo3%
16 mi
median commute distance
1,140
jobs based in Elkader
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC
Public schools in Elkader fall behind 71% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Central Community School District. Its two schools are below.
29%of IA districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 292 | B− |
| Central Middle School/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 182 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D
The FEMA risk score in Elkader is higher than in most of Iowa or the rest of the country
Elkader’s FEMA risk score is 80 of 100. Since 1979, 60 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elkader.
80risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
60
paid flood claims since 1979
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade B+
Elkader’s typical home value is about $174K
The typical Elkader home is worth about $174,000, up 12.6% in a year, 27% below the Iowa typical home. The median rent in Elkader is $859 a month.
$174KZillow home value
| Elkader | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $859 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Elkader$174K
Iowa$237K
+12.6%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Who lives here
More of Elkader’s residents are 65 or older than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
27% of residents are 65 or older in Elkader. Elkader has lost 2.6% of its people since 2020, down to 1,183 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 24% of residents are under 18 in Elkader.
40.5median age · IA 38.6
| Elkader | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 27% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
ElkaderIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma3%
High school41%
Some college22%
Associate’s8%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate7%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Elkader | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.9% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.9% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
HealthC
Elkader is less healthy than 66% of U.S. towns
Elkader beats the Iowa average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 43% of Elkader adults have high blood pressure. Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Elkader.
34%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Elkader | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 78% | 79% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
3 better18 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Elkader | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.8% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 81.4% | 77.5% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.4% | 6.6% |
Mercyone Elkader Medical Center
0.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
Elkader has four seasons and pleasant summers
Elkader has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 9° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
36″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–30°
Spring36–57°
Summer60–81°
Fall39–60°
Oct 1
typical first frost
May 8
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsA
1.5% of Elkader is conserved land
1.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Elkader City Park, at 38 acres.
1.5%conserved
1.5%
conserved · 13 of 870 acres
1.9 mi
of trails · 1.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elkader City Park | 0.8 mi | 38 |
| 2. Lovers Leap Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Ardell Kader City Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Elkader
19pages on Elkader
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Elkader; the nearest are
Upper Iowa UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Fayette20.1 mi$19,475 tuitionNortheast Iowa Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Calmar32.1 mi$6,780 in-state tuitionUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity or college · Public · Platteville, WI47.3 mi$8,644 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Elkader residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Small town
1,183 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Landmarks
9 places in Elkader on the National Register of Historic Places.
Famous people from Elkader
6 notable people were born in Elkader.
About Elkader
City in Iowa, United States
Elkader is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,209 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 1,465 in 2000. It is the county seat of Clayton County. It is the site of Iowa's lowest recorded minimum temperature, −44 °C (−47 °F) on February 3, 1996.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1846
- Area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 732 ft
- ZIP code
- 52043
- Area code
- 563
Questions about Elkader
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elkader, IA expensive?
Not for the area. That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($67,242 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
What is Elkader, IA known for?
6 notable people were born here, including Asle Gronna and Francis John Dunn.