Elkhart Iowa 20090503 City Hall, 2009
Elkhart’s story
173 years in pictures
Census counts: 132 in 1910, 882 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1911 on.
- 1853Elkhart is settled
ElkhartIA
Trash & recyclingPhoto: Ashton B Crew · CC BY 3.0
Population
1,097
2025 Census estimate · +23.7% since 2020
Typical home
$328K
+1% in a year
Household income
$85K
median
Median age
32.9
years
Jobs based here
182
A commuter town
Is Elkhart a good place to live?
The best of Elkhart’s subject grades are an A+ for schools and an A for health; the weakest is a C− for walkability. On walkability, just 6 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. On history, just 24 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Elkhart has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Elkhart stand out
Where Elkhart beats most towns.
Small town
1,097 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Elkhart grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Elkhart is from typical.
SchoolsBeat 98% of Iowa districts on tests and graduationA+Open →HealthBroadlawns Medical Center 13.8 miles awayAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 3 of 20; 0.3% of households have no car; 1.9% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Jobs & income$85K median household incomeBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 0% conserved landBOpen →HistoryC−Open →Civic life6.7 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market8 days on market–Open →Who lives here28% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Adventureland and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Elkhart. Close and well known come first.
10 mi Theme parkAdventureland
15 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
15 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol
17 mi Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum
17 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
15 mi Stadium & arenaDrake Stadium
15 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center15 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol17 mi Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum17 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center15 mi Stadium & arenaDrake StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Casey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Hilton Coliseum: Johannes Cater--Jaretac (talk) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC), Public domain · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Elkhart: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elkhart, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterDes Moines Water WorksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpAnkeny SanitationTrash haulerTown 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 herePolk County AuditorPolk County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2026
ZIP code5007350073 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 Elkhart.
HealthA
Elkhart stands out in Iowa and nationally: a smaller share of its adults have high blood pressure
24% of adults have high blood pressure in Elkhart, where Iowa’s towns sit at 35% and U.S. towns at 35%. 6.5% of Elkhart adults have diabetes. Elkhart beats the Iowa average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
90%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Elkhart | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.5% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
18 better11 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Elkhart | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.4% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.7% | 3.3% |
| More binge drinkers | 26.1% | 20.5% |
VA Central Iowa Healthcare System
13.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade B+
Elkhart’s typical home value is about $328K
The typical Elkhart home is worth about $328,000, up 1% in a year, 39% above the Iowa typical home. 81% of households own their home in Elkhart, above both Iowa’s towns (70%) and U.S. towns (73%).
$328KZillow home value
Typical home value
Elkhart$328K
Iowa$237K
Market temperature
8
days on market
99.6%
sale-to-list price
+1%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Compared with most of Iowa and the rest of the country, fewer of Elkhart’s working residents work locally
0.6% of working residents work locally in Elkhart. Jobs based in Elkhart grew to 182 in 2023, 153 more than in 2013. Elkhart’s average trip to work is 26 minutes.
1%work in town
| Elkhart | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.6% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Elkhart1%
Des Moines25%
Ankeny19%
West Des Moines7%
Urbandale6%
15 mi
median commute distance
182
jobs based in Elkhart
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 18% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
Younger than Iowa overall
People 65 and older are 10% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 30% of residents (23% statewide). The median age in Elkhart is 32.9 years. Elkhart has grown 24% since 2020, to 1,097 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
32.9median age · IA 38.6
| Elkhart | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 30% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 9.8% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 32.9 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
ElkhartIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma6%
High school21%
Some college30%
Associate’s15%
Bachelor’s25%
Graduate3%
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Elkhart | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.8% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.1% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.9% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 30% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.7% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Elkhart has four seasons and pleasant summers
Elkhart has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–33°
Spring39–60°
Summer62–83°
Fall41–62°
Oct 15
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Elkhart faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtTornadoes
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB
Conserved land covers 0.4% of Elkhart
0.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 3 have a lower share of conserved land than Elkhart.
0.4%conserved
| Elkhart | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
0.4%
conserved · 5 of 1,201 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prairie Pointe Park | 0.2 mi | 11 |
| 2. Elkhart Memorial Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Elkhart City Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Elkhart
18pages on Elkhart
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
5 within 15 miles of the center of Elkhart
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ankeny6.5 mi$20,270 tuitionDes Moines Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ankeny7.5 mi$5,790 in-state tuitionGrand View UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Des Moines12.7 mi$34,762 tuition
About 2 of every 100 Elkhart residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Elkhart for work
Where Elkhart’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
182jobs based in Elkhart
1%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Elkhart
City in Iowa, United States
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart Township, Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 882 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1853
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 978 ft
- ZIP code
- 50073
Questions about Elkhart
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Elkhart, 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 B+.