Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hawarden gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $187K, 2.2 years of the county’s $86K median household income. It grades B overall, 71st among Iowa's 140 graded towns. On the plus side, 5% of its land is conserved. On civic life, just 11 of Iowa’s 271 towns do worse. 30% of residents are under 18 in Hawarden, against 23% in Iowa’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Big Sioux Recreation Area, at 94 acres.
Where Hawarden beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Hawarden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 744 in 1890, 2,700 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1918.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hawarden, 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 Hawarden.
About one in 5 of Hawarden’s working residents works in town. Hawarden’s average trip to work is 15 minutes. The top destinations are Sioux Center (12%), Rock Valley (9%) and Orange City (6%).
| Hawarden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the West Sioux Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawarden Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 193 | C |
| West Sioux High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 242 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
At 2.2 years of the county’s $86K median household income, the typical home (about $187K) costs less against local pay than in 85% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The typical Hawarden home is worth about $187,000, up 3.7% in a year, 21% below the Iowa typical home. 65% of Hawarden households own their home.
| Hawarden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $933 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hawarden has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 9° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hawarden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hawarden's reported crime rate is well below Iowa's. The property crime rate in Hawarden is 3.8 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Hawarden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.8 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Hawarden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hawarden City Park | 0.6 mi | 11 |
| 2. Big Sioux Recreation Area | — | 94 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Hawarden beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 27% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Hawarden. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults 18 to 64 who have no health insurance than Hawarden.
| Hawarden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 36% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 7% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Hawarden | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults sleeping under 7 hours | 27.1% | 32.5% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.6% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Hawarden; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Hawarden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
2 places in Hawarden on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Hawarden.
City in Iowa, United States
Hawarden is a city in Sioux County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,700 at the time of the 2020 census. It is located on the Big Sioux River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Hawarden.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hawarden grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #71 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health 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.
9 notable people were born here, including Hope Emerson and Adam Gregg.
