In Graettinger, four in five households own their home, above both Iowa’s towns (70%) and U.S. towns (73%). Typical home values rose 5.9% in the year to September 2026.

$159KZillow home value

	Graettinger	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$518 a month	$911 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	80%	70%	73%

Typical home value

Graettinger$159K

Iowa$237K

+5.9%

value change, 1 year

Full pageGraettinger’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 5.9% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 1.9 years of income Rents$518 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Schools

The schools Graettinger’s kids attend

Its two schools are below. Public schools: the Graettinger-Terril Community School District. The 2 public schools in Graettinger teach 176 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Graettinger-Terril Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8	Grades 6–8	48	C
Graettinger-Terril High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12	Grades 9–12	128	C

Full pageGraettinger’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsGraettinger-Terril Comm School District Every school2 schools · Graettinger-Terril High School Questions“Are Graettinger’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Climate

Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Graettinger

July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 7° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.

37″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter11–28°

Spring36–57°

Summer59–81°

Fall38–59°

Oct 7

typical first frost

Apr 27

typical last frost

+1.2°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageGraettinger’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 7°Rain & snow37″ of snow a winter · 32 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+1.2° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Work & commute

About one in five working residents works right in Graettinger

Half of commuters travel less than 14 miles. Since 2013, Graettinger has added 93 jobs, to 383 in 2023. Commuting out is the norm locally: 19% of working residents work locally. Its average trip to work is 17 minutes, below both the Iowa town median (19 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).

19%work in town

	Graettinger	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	17 minutes	19 minutes	25 minutes
Working residents who work in town	19%	31%	8%
Below the poverty line	5.9%	11%	9.6%
Median household income	$82,000	$69,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Graettinger19%

Emmetsburg16%

Spencer6%

Estherville5%

West Bend3%

14 mi

median commute distance

383

jobs based in Graettinger

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageGraettinger’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here383 jobs based here · Balanced Where people work19% work in Graettinger Commute times17 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 14 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Health

How healthy Graettinger is

Among adults in Graettinger, 34% sleep under 7 hours. The town tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. Just over two in five adults locally have obesity; 17% smoke cigarettes.

	Graettinger	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	22%	20%	16%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	41%	38%	35%
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	17%	15%	14%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	77%	78%	79%

32 measures vs. Iowa

0 better32 too close to call0 worse

Palo Alto County Hospital

8.7 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: dental, mental health

Full pageGraettinger’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby8.7 miles to an ER · Palo Alto County Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than IA on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

Top of a moderate hazard risk in Graettinger: cold waves

Households in Graettinger have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2024. On expected storm and flood damage, Graettinger sits below 55% of U.S. communities. FEMA puts 25% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to cold waves, and 21% to inland flooding.

45risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Cold wavesInland floodingDrought

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageGraettinger’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters4 federal disasters · Paid out in Graettinger Get ready11 events a year, on average · Ready for cold waves

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Outdoors