Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
No town among the 141 in Iowa we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Malcom. P. P. Raymond House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Malcom has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Malcom beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 416 in 1880, 270 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 2 maps from 1979 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Malcom, 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 Malcom.
Most working residents leave Malcom for work: only 1% work in town. Malcom’s average trip to work is 22 minutes, where Iowa’s towns sit at 19 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. The top destinations are Montezuma (19%), Grinnell (14%) and Cedar Rapids (4%).
| Malcom | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $77,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
14% of Malcom residents are under 18, below both Iowa’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (22%). Malcom’s median age is 43.4 years. Malcom has lost 4.1% of its people since 2020, down to 259 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Malcom | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 14% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 43.4 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 25% | 29% |
Somewhere between 39% and 83% women
The Census survey reached too few of Malcom’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±22.1 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Malcom | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21.3% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 45.5% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.7% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.4% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.3% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Malcom has cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 12° and about 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Malcom beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 43% of Malcom adults have obesity.
| Malcom | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | Malcom | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.9% | 11.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.1% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median rent in Malcom is $638 a month. Typical home values rose 12% in the year to September 2026. 88% of households own their home in Malcom.
| Malcom | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $638 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Malcom
About 2 of every 100 Malcom residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Malcom’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, United States
Malcom is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 270 at the time of the 2020 census. The city was named for an early Scotch settler. The town's major businesses include BASF.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Malcom has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
