Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Knoxville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $208K, 2.6 years of the Pella area’s $79K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 95th of 140 in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. It reports more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns, including 46 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. Knoxville’s violent crime rate is 6.2 per 1,000 residents, where Iowa’s towns sit at 1.5 and U.S. towns at 1.6. Its National Register listings include Knoxville WPA Athletic Field Historic District and Knoxville Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District.
Where Knoxville beats most towns.
Marion County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Knoxville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,124 in 1860, 7,595 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 3 maps from 1909 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Knoxville, 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 Knoxville.
Knoxville carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Iowa (mostly tornadoes) and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Iowa rate.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 99% of Iowa towns, with expected losses of about $57 per resident a year; that rating is what its A− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Knoxville is 9 of 100.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Knoxville Community School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Knoxville High School, with 508 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 485 | – |
| Knoxville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 508 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 6.2 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Iowa rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its C−.
Knoxville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 76% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 13.5°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 82% of Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.2°.
Knoxville has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Knoxville’s January low is 14°F. About 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Knoxville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Knoxville has about as many jobs (3,893) as working residents, but only 1,010 people both live and work here.
About one in 3 of Knoxville’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Knoxville grew to 3,893 in 2023, 389 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Des Moines (9%), Pella (7%) and West Des Moines (4%).
| Knoxville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (18% statewide). 20% of residents are under 18 in Knoxville. 31% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Knoxville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 42.2 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 25% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
About 84 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Knoxville | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.7% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.8% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.1% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.2% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Knoxville home is worth about $208,000, up 3.3% in a year, 12% below the Iowa typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 9,302 U.S. towns with household incomes like Knoxville’s, it is healthier than 78%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Knoxville beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of Knoxville adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Knoxville | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Knoxville | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.1 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Youngs Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
| 2. Auld Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Edwards City Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Knoxville
About 3 of every 100 Knoxville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
4 places in Knoxville on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Knoxville.
City in Iowa, USA
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,595 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 7,313 in the 2010 census. Knoxville is home of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, located next to the Knoxville Raceway dirt track. Knoxville is located 4 miles south of Lake Red Rock and Elk Rock State Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Knoxville grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #95 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 Edward C. Stone and George Kruck Cherrie.
