KanawhaIA
A town of 630, settled in 1899.
Is Kanawha a good place to live?
No town among the 138 in Iowa we compare has a lower median rent than Kanawha. 5.3% of working residents work locally in Kanawha, against 31% in Iowa’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Kanawha has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
630 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Kanawha: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kanawha, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Kanawha.
The typical home in Kanawha is valued at about $138K
The typical Kanawha home is worth about $138,000, up 3% in a year, 42% below the Iowa typical home. 78% of households own their home in Kanawha, where Iowa’s towns sit at 70% and U.S. towns at 73%.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The schools Kanawha’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the West Hancock Community School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hancock Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 174 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
In Kanawha, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Kanawha has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Kanawha’s July high is 83°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
More young adults than Iowa overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). Kanawha has lost 4% of its people since 2020, down to 630 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. The median age in Kanawha is 36.4 years.
| Kanawha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.4 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 25% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
46% women, 54% men
About 117 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.7 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Kanawha | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.1% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 1.6% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Most of Kanawha’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Kanawha for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Britt (9%), Garner (7%) and Algona (7%). Half commute less than 23 miles.
| Kanawha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 8.7% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
How healthy Kanawha is
Kanawha beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 42% of Kanawha adults have obesity.
| Kanawha | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | Kanawha | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.6% | 77.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Drought leads a moderate hazard risk in Kanawha
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Everything we know about Kanawha
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Kanawha; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Kanawha residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
About Kanawha
City in Iowa, USA
Kanawha is a city in Hancock County, Iowa, United States. The population was 658 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1899
- Area
- 2.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,181 ft
- ZIP code
- 50447
Questions about Kanawha
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Kanawha, IA a good place to live?
Kanawha has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.