Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 748, settled in 1886.
Only 1 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Manilla. Nishnabotna River Bridge and Nishnabotna River Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Manilla has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 526 in 1890, a peak of 1,142 in 1920, 775 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1978 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manilla, 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 Manilla.
Most working residents leave Manilla for work: only 3% work in town. Jobs based in Manilla fell to 75 in 2023, 72 fewer than in 2013. 6.2% of Manilla residents live below the poverty line, below both Iowa’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Manilla | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 31% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.7% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Manilla’s median rent is $675 a month, below both the Iowa town median ($911 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 87% of Manilla households own their home. Typical home values rose 13% in the year to September 2026.
| Manilla | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $675 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Manilla has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Manilla beats the Iowa average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of adults binge drink in Manilla.
| Manilla | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Manilla | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.3% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.9% | 6.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Manilla; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Manilla residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Manilla’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, United States
Manilla is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the West Branch of the West Nishnabotna River. The population was 775 at the time of the 2020 United States census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Manilla has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.