Manly library, 2019
Manly’s story
143 years in pictures
Census counts: 84 in 1880, 1,256 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
- 1883Manly is settled
ManlyIA
A town of 1,239, settled in 1883.
Photo: Nahtzen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,239
2025 Census estimate · −1.7% since 2020
Typical home
$149K
+2.3% in a year
Household income
$73K
median
Median age
41.0
years
Jobs based here
180
A commuter town
Is Manly a good place to live?
Manly’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a C− for walkability. On cost of living, just 1 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Only 21 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on the outdoors. Manly has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Manly stand out
Where Manly beats most towns.
Small town
1,239 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Manly grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Manly is from typical.
Cost of livingA+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 5.3 of 20; 3.9% of households have no car; 0.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC−Open →SchoolsBOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 44% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listB−Open →HealthMercyone North Iowa Medical Center 9.7 miles awayB−Open →Jobs & income$73K median household incomeB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
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 41.0; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Manly: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manly, and how to reach them.
PowerInterstate Power and Light17.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterManly Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Manly’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 hereWorth County AuditorWorth County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, May 2025
ZIP code5045650456 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 Manly.
HousingCost of living grade A+
A home in Manly is worth about $149K, on Zillow’s estimate
In Manly, 64% of households are owner-occupiers, below both Iowa’s towns (70%) and U.S. towns (73%). Its median rent stands at $756 a month.
$149KZillow home value
| Manly | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $756 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Manly$149K
Iowa$237K
+2.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB
Manly’s schools rank ahead of 64% of Iowa districts
Its two schools are below. 2 public schools serve Manly, with 379 students in all.
64%of IA districts it outscoresBSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Springs Elementary Manly CampusLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 143 | A |
| Central Springs High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 236 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
Manly has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Manly dropped by 97, to 180. Only 6% of working residents stay in Manly for work; the rest commute out. In Manly, 6.8% of residents live below the poverty line, below both the Iowa town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its mean commuting time comes in at 20 minutes.
6%work in town
| Manly | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Manly6%
Mason City25%
Northwood9%
Forest City5%
Clear Lake5%
14 mi
median commute distance
180
jobs based in Manly
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 15% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
A typical July afternoon in Manly is cooler than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
Expect cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers in Manly. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 7° and about 44 inches of snow falls in a winter.
44″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter11–27°
Spring35–56°
Summer59–80°
Fall38–59°
Oct 7
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
The biggest natural risk in Manly is drought, at a moderate overall level
Households in Manly have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2013. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 56% of U.S. communities.
44risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingTornadoes
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB−
Health in Manly trails 53% of U.S. towns
Two figures for adults in Manly: 20% binge drink, 16% smoke cigarettes. The town tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. For adults here, the share who have obesity is 41%.
47%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Manly | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better32 too close to call0 worse
Mercyone North Iowa Medical Center
9.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 900 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bosworth Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Manly
18pages on Manly
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Manly
About 3 of every 100 Manly residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Manly for work
Where Manly’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
180jobs based in Manly
6%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Manly
City in Iowa, USA
Manly is a city in Worth County, Iowa, United States, whose population was 1,256 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,201 ft
- ZIP code
- 50456
- Area code
- 641
Questions about Manly
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Manly, 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+.