Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 7,432, settled in 1950.
Hiawatha grades C overall, ranked 107th of 140 in Iowa, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Natural-hazard risk is low and 4% of its land is conserved. On the other side, its public schools trail 94% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. Only 3 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on history. Hiawatha’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile, above both the Iowa town median (0.3) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Hiawatha's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 88% of U.S. towns.
Where Hiawatha beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha Elementary School | PK–5 | 334 |
| Nixon Elementary School | PK–5 | 289 |
| Essential Montessori | PK–K | 39 |
Where Hiawatha’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Hiawatha is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,336 in 1960, 7,183 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1888 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hiawatha, 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 Hiawatha.
Hiawatha draws workers from Cedar Rapids and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
4.5 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Guthridge Park, 44 acres with 1.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Guthridge Park | 1.2 mi | 44 |
| 2. Fay M Clark Memorial Park | 0.8 mi | 32 |
| 3. Tucker Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Cedar Rapids Community School District. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 334 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
7,591 jobs are based in Hiawatha, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Hiawatha for work: only 10% work in town. At 16 minutes, Hiawatha’s average trip to work is below both Iowa’s towns (19 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Hiawatha has added 794 jobs, to 7,591 in 2023.
| Hiawatha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.6% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hiawatha.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hiawatha’s violent crime rate is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Hiawatha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Hiawatha has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,124 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hiawatha’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Hiawatha tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. 20% of adults binge drink in Hiawatha. Only 5 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Hiawatha.
| Hiawatha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Children under 18 are 28% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (37% statewide). The median age in Hiawatha is 32.4 years. Hiawatha has grown 3.4% since 2020, to 7,432 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Hiawatha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 28% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 32.4 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 25% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Hiawatha | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 26.3% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.5% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.6% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Hiawatha home is worth about $262,000, up 5.2% in a year, 11% above the Iowa typical home.
| Hiawatha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $855 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hiawatha. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
32 mi MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
6 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
28 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
32 mi National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
6 mi MuseumMuseum of Art Cedar RapidsKinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Art Cedar Rapids: ericjames, CC BY 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hiawatha
About 2 of every 100 Hiawatha residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Iowa, United States
Hiawatha is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb located in the northwestern side of Cedar Rapids and is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,183 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 6,480 in 2000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Hiawatha.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hiawatha | #107 | C | B | C | D | B |
| Cedar Rapids | #104 | C | B | C− | D | B |
| Robins | #89 | B− | C+ | — | D | A |
Robins reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hiawatha with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hiawatha grades C overall, better than 29% of U.S. towns and #107 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($78,080 across the Cedar Rapids, 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.
