Lenox Hotel · National Register of Historic Places
Lenox’s story
155 years in pictures
The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1871Lenox is settled
LenoxIA
A town of 1,364, settled in 1871.
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,364
2025 Census estimate · +1.5% since 2020
Typical home
$123K
+9.5% in a year
Household income
$61K
median
Median age
37.5
years
Jobs based here
936
A job hub
Is Lenox a good place to live?
The best of Lenox’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for schools; the weakest is a C− for incomes. On walkability, just 26 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Lenox Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lenox has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Lenox stand out
Where Lenox beats most towns.
Typical home value
Lenox$123K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
1.8 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 88% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Lenox Comm School District
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lenox Elementary School | PK–6 | 308 |
| Lenox High School | 7–12 | 219 |
SchoolsA−
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
Small town
1,364 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Lenox grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Lenox is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →Jobs & income$61K median household incomeC−Open →SchoolsA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.9 of 20; 7.6% of households have no car; 1.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 35% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listBOpen →HealthCHI Health - Mercy Corning 12.3 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailCOpen →History1 place on the National Register; 4 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life2.8 library visits per resident; 8.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.5; 15% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Lenox: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lenox, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of LenoxEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterLenox 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 Lenox’s 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 hereTaylor County AuditorTaylor County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5085150851 100%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 Lenox.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
With 1.7 jobs for every working resident, Lenox draws in 727 commuters
About one in 3 of Lenox’s working residents works in town. Lenox’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Lenox grew to 936 in 2023, 326 more than in 2013.
38%work in town
| Lenox | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 38% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 11% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Lenox38%
Creston12%
Clearfield3%
Des Moines2%
Corning2%
16 mi
median commute distance
936
jobs based in Lenox
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsA−
Lenox’s schools rank ahead of 82% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Lenox Community School District. Its two schools are below.
82%of IA districts it outscoresA−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenox Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 308 | A− |
| Lenox High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 219 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A
A typical Lenox home is worth about $123K
The typical Lenox home is worth about $123,000, up 9.5% in a year, 48% below the Iowa typical home.
$123KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lenox$123K
Iowa$237K
+9.5%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
In Lenox, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Lenox 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
Winter16–35°
Spring39–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall41–63°
Oct 12
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
Lenox is less healthy than 65% of U.S. towns
Lenox beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 31% of Lenox adults get no exercise outside work, where Iowa’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 25%. 40% of Lenox adults have high blood pressure.
35%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Lenox | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 7% | 8.1% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
2 better19 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Lenox | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 17.3% | 20.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.2% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.6% | 11.6% |
CHI Health - Mercy Corning
12.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Drought leads a low hazard risk in Lenox
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities.
35risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtHeat wavesInland flooding
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC
Lenox has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
1.3 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Lenox’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,273 acres
1.3 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lenox
18pages on Lenox
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lenox; the nearest are
Southwestern Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Creston16.1 mi$8,064 in-state tuitionNorthwest Missouri State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Maryville, MO40.5 mi$10,611 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Lenox residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A job hub
Every workday, about 727 people come to Lenox for work
Where Lenox’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
936jobs based in Lenox
38%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
Famous people from Lenox
4 notable people were born in Lenox.
About Lenox
City in Iowa, United States
Lenox is a city in Taylor and Adams counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,339 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1871
- Area
- 2.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,296 ft
- ZIP code
- 50851
- Area code
- 641
Questions about Lenox
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lenox, IA expensive?
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.
What is Lenox, IA known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Spencer Brown and John Torrence Tate, Sr..