Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,037, settled in 1855. 68% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Epworth’s best subject grades are an A for schools and civic life and an A− for health; its weakest is a C for walkability. Only 19 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on walkability. Epworth is home to Divine Word College. Epworth has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Epworth beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Epworth Elementary School | PK–5 | 360 |
| Western Dubuque High School | 9–12 | 927 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Epworth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 348 in 1890, 2,023 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Epworth, 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 Epworth.
Its public schools are run by the Western Dubuque Community School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Western Dubuque High School, with 927 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epworth Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 360 | A |
| Western Dubuque High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 927 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Epworth beats the Iowa average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 22% of adults binge drink in Epworth, above both the Iowa town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%). 28% of adults have high blood pressure in Epworth.
| Epworth | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Epworth | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.2% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8.8% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Epworth for work: only 4% work in town. 5.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Epworth, where Iowa’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The average trip to work in Epworth is 20 minutes.
| Epworth | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $84,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Epworth has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Epworth’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 30% of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 27% of residents (23% statewide). 25% of Epworth residents are under 18. 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Epworth | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32.8 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 25% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Epworth | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.6% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.2% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.3% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.5% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,000, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Epworth home is worth about $272,000, up 3.4% in a year, 15% above the Iowa typical home. Only 10 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Epworth.
| Epworth | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $951 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
| 2. Horsefield Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Tower Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Epworth. Close and well known come first.
36 mi National MonumentEffigy Mounds National Monument57K visitors a year
36 mi MountainCharles Mound
14 mi MuseumNational Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium250K visitors a year
9 mi MuseumNational Farm Toy Museum
14 mi TheatreFive Flags Center26 mi MuseumChicago AthenaeumEffigy Mounds National Monument: National Park Service, Public domain · Charles Mound: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Farm Toy Museum: Madmaxmarchhare of English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5 · Five Flags Center: Dirk Hansen, CC BY-SA 3.0
6 within 15 miles of the center of Epworth
About 11 of every 100 Epworth residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Epworth’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, United States
Epworth is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Dubuque, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,023 at the 2020 census, up from 1,428 in 2000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
68% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Not for the area. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($77,630 across the Dubuque, 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+.
