Minden Iowa UCC Church, 2009
Minden’s story
151 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1875Minden is settled
MindenIA
A town of 567, settled in 1875.
Photo: Blokhead (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
567
2025 Census estimate · −5.3% since 2020
Typical home
$291K
+5.3% in a year
Household income
$109K
median
Median age
31.3
years
Jobs based here
47
A commuter town
Is Minden a good place to live?
Minden’s average trip to work is 42 minutes, against 19 minutes in Iowa’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 2 have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Minden. Minden has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
567 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Minden: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Minden, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterMinden 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 Minden’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 herePottawattamie County AuditorPottawattamie County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5155351553 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 Minden.
Work & commute
Compared with most of Iowa and the rest of the country, fewer of Minden’s working residents work locally
1.6% of Minden working residents work locally, below both the Iowa town median (31%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). The median household income in Minden is $109,000. The top destinations are Council Bluffs (23%), Omaha (20%) and Underwood (6%).
2%work in town
| Minden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 8.5% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Minden2%
Council Bluffs23%
Omaha20%
Underwood6%
Neola4%
23 mi
median commute distance
47
jobs based in Minden
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Housing
A typical Minden home is worth about $291K
The typical Minden home is worth about $291,000, up 5.3% in a year, 23% above the Iowa typical home. Minden’s median rent is $700 a month. Only 10 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Minden.
$291KZillow home value
| Minden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $700 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Minden$291K
Iowa$237K
+5.3%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Minden has four seasons and pleasant summers
Minden has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
27″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–34°
Spring38–61°
Summer62–83°
Fall40–63°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
Younger than Iowa overall
People 65 and older are 11% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 28% of residents (23% statewide). Minden has lost 5.3% of its people since 2020, down to 567 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
31.3median age · IA 38.6
| Minden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.3 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 28% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 29% | 25% | 29% |
MindenIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
19%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma1%
High school33%
Some college12%
Associate’s26%
Bachelor’s24%
Graduate6%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 29% and 55% women
The Census survey reached too few of Minden’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.7 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Minden | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.2% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.7% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.3% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.3% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0.5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.7% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 25.6% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.5% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
High risk in Minden, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.
61risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
How healthy Minden is
Minden beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 22% of Minden adults binge drink.
| Minden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 19% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
2 better30 too close to call0 worse
| What stands out | Minden | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.6% | 12% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5.6% | 6.8% |
Myrtue Medical Center
16.6 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Minden
16pages on Minden
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Minden; the nearest are
Iowa Western Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Council Bluffs19 mi$6,930 in-state tuitionUniversity of Nebraska Medical CenterUniversity or college · Public · Omaha, NE26.8 mi
About 4 of every 100 Minden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Minden for work
Where Minden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
47jobs based in Minden
2%of working residents work in town
23 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Minden
City in Iowa, United States
Minden is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 600 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,211 ft
- ZIP code
- 51553
Questions about Minden
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Minden, IA a good place to live?
Minden has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.