Hills, Iowa, 2008
Hills’s story
127 years in pictures
Census counts: 195 in 1910, 863 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
- 1899Hills is settled
HillsIA
A town of 913, settled in 1899.
Photo: Billwhittaker (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
913
2025 Census estimate · +6.2% since 2020
Typical home
$242K
−6.1% in a year
Household income
$83K
median
Median age
40.2
years
Jobs based here
577
A job hub
Is Hills a good place to live?
Only 3 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Hills. Hills has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
913 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Hills: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hills, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHills Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Hills’ trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereJohnson County AuditorJohnson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5223552235 99%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Hills.
Work & commute
More than half of Hills’ working residents commute to Iowa City
Most working residents leave Hills for work: only 2% work in town. Hills’ average trip to work is 18 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Hills has added 416 jobs, to 577 in 2023.
2%work in town
| Hills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $83,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Hills2%
Iowa City52%
Coralville8%
Cedar Rapids7%
North Liberty3%
8 mi
median commute distance
577
jobs based in Hills
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Hills faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 74% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hills since 2008.
74risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
1
paid flood claims since 2008
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Hills has four seasons and pleasant summers
Hills has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–34°
Spring39–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall41–63°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
A smaller share of residents in Hills are under 18 than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
15% of Hills residents are under 18, below both the Iowa town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Hills has grown 6.2% since 2020, to 913 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Children under 18 are 15% of residents (23% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (23% statewide).
40.2median age · IA 38.6
| Hills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
HillsIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
22%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma2%
High school31%
Some college24%
Associate’s19%
Bachelor’s19%
Graduate5%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Hills | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21.6% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.8% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.9% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.2% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 900, single groups can be off by several points
Health
How healthy Hills is
Hills beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 18% of Hills adults smoke cigarettes.
| Hills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better19 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Hills | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.3% | 11.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.6% | 6.9% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.1% | 12% |
Iowa City VA Medical Center
6.8 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
Homes in Hills are worth about $242K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Hills home is worth about $242,000, down 6.1% in a year, close to the Iowa typical home. 64% of households own their home in Hills.
$242KZillow home value
| Hills | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,132 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Hills$242K
Iowa$237K
−6.1%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Nearby attractions
All 25 attractions →Kinnick Stadium and 11 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hills. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
12 mi MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
8 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
12 mi National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
29 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
8 mi MuseumUniversity of Iowa Stanley Museum of ArtSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Kinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Hills
16pages on Hills
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hills
About 8 of every 100 Hills residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A job hub
Every workday, about 570 people come to Hills for work
Where Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
577jobs based in Hills
2%of working residents work in town
8 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Hills
City in Iowa, United States
Hills is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 863 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Iowa City Community School District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 630 ft
- ZIP code
- 52235
Questions about Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Hills, IA a good place to live?
Hills has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.