Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Estherville gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $131K for a typical one, or 2 years of the county’s $64K median household income. It grades B overall, 78th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. Estherville is home to Iowa Lakes Community College. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Estherville. The biggest park or preserve is Joe Hoye Park, at 38 acres.
Where Estherville beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Iowa Lakes Community College | 1,879 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Estherville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 168 in 1870, a peak of 8,108 in 1970, 5,904 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1909 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Estherville, 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 Estherville.
Estherville is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
At 2 years of the county’s $64K median household income, the typical home (about $131K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026. At $754 a month, Estherville’s median rent is below both the Iowa town median ($913 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Estherville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $754 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Estherville Lincoln Central Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Estherville Lincoln Central High School, with 359 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demoney ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 460 | C− |
| Estherville Lincoln Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 359 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Against the 7,159 U.S. towns with household incomes like Estherville’s, it is healthier than 54%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Estherville beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 43% of Estherville adults have obesity, where Iowa’s towns sit at 38% and U.S. towns at 35%. 17% of Estherville adults smoke cigarettes.
| Estherville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Estherville | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10% | 7.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 15.2% | 12% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Estherville has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Estherville’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Estherville’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Estherville has lost 533 jobs, to 2,148 in 2023. The median household income in Estherville is $54,000.
| Estherville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.4 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves.
| Estherville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Spurgin Park | 1 mi | 33 |
| 2. Joe Hoye Park | 0.1 mi | 38 |
| 3. Riverside Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Estherville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Estherville
About 9 of every 100 Estherville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
10 notable people were born in Estherville.
City in Iowa, United States
Estherville is a city in Estherville Township, Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Estherville grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #78 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C for health, B for safety and C+ for schools.
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−.
10 notable people were born here, including Dixie Willson and Kay Halloran.