Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Keokuk grades D overall, ranked 138th of 140 in Iowa, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 88% of the state's. Residents are less healthy than 87% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 20 places on the National Register. 45% of working residents work locally in Keokuk, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Geo. M. Verity and Justice Samuel Freeman Miller House. Only 1 of the 139 Iowa towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Keokuk.
Where Keokuk beats most towns.
Geo. M. Verity is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,478 in 1850, a peak of 16,316 in 1960, 9,900 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1849 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Keokuk is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Keokuk, 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 Keokuk.
Keokuk has milder winter nights than almost anywhere else in Iowa, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
At 1.3 years of the Fort Madison area’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $83K) costs less against local pay than in any other Iowa town; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. Values fell 6.8% in the past year while the Iowa typical home rose 3.3%.
The typical Keokuk home is worth about $83,000, 65% below the Iowa typical home. Typical home values fell 6.8% in the year to September 2026. 64% of Keokuk households own their home.
| Keokuk | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $871 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Keokuk Community School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Keokuk High School, with 583 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawthorne Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 2–5 | Grades 2–5 | 454 | C− |
| Keokuk High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 583 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Keokuk. Only 1 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Keokuk. 32% of adults get no exercise outside work in Keokuk.
| Keokuk | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Keokuk | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 17.1% | 20.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.7% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 248 to 143 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Keokuk’s violent crime rate is 2.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Keokuk | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 17.6°, the highest of 1,026 Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.3°.
Keokuk has chilly winters and warm summers. Of the 140 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher January low than Keokuk. About 23 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Keokuk | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 18°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.5 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rand Park, at 37 acres. The trail density in Keokuk is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rand Park | — | 37 |
| 2. Tolmie Park | — | 12 |
| 3. Bluff Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here fell from 6,419 in 2013 to 4,860.
Since 2013, Keokuk has lost 1,559 jobs, to 4,860 in 2023. The top destinations are Fort Madison (10%), Burlington (3%) and West Burlington (2%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Keokuk | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 34 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Keokuk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Keokuk; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Keokuk residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
20 places in Keokuk on the National Register of Historic Places.
24 notable people were born in Keokuk.
City in Iowa, United States
Keokuk () is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk. It is in the extreme southeast corner of Iowa, where the Des Moines River meets the Mississippi. Keokuk is also the home of Keokuk National Cemetery. It is at the junction of U.S. Routes 61, 136 and 218. Just across the rivers are the towns of Hamilton and Warsaw, Illinois, and Alexandria, Missouri. Keokuk, along with the city of Fort Madison, is a principal city of the Fort Madison-Keokuk micropolitan area, which includes all of Lee County, Iowa, Hancock County, Illinois and Clark…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Keokuk.
Sandusky isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Keokuk with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Keokuk grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #138 of 140 in Iowa. It grades D for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 1.3 years of the area's median household income ($62,382 across the Fort Madison, IA 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.
24 notable people were born here, including Conrad Nagel and Elsa Maxwell.
