Among residents in Murray, 8% live below the poverty line, below both Iowa’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher average commute than Murray. The top destinations are Osceola (31%), Des Moines (10%) and West Des Moines (6%). For half of commuters, work is under 34 miles away.

1%work in town

	Murray	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	1.4%	31%	8%
Average trip to work	28 minutes	19 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	8%	11%	9.6%
Median household income	$66,000	$69,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Murray1%

Osceola31%

Des Moines10%

West Des Moines6%

Creston5%

34 mi

median commute distance

121

jobs based in Murray

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageMurray’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here121 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work1% work in Murray Commute times28 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 34 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Schools

The schools Murray’s kids attend

Its two schools are below. The 2 public schools in Murray teach 310 students between them.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Murray Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5	Grades PK–5	165	C⁻
Murray Jr/Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12	Grades 6–12	145	C

Full pageMurray’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsMurray Comm School District Every school2 schools · Murray Elementary School Questions“Are Murray’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Housing

Murray’s typical home value is about $169K

Home values are up 3.2% over the year to September 2026. The share of households in Murray who own their home: 84%. The midpoint rent for Murray comes to $831 a month, where Iowa’s towns sit at $911 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month.

$169KZillow home value

	Murray	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	84%	70%	73%
Median rent	$831 a month	$911 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Murray$169K

Iowa$237K

+3.2%

value change, 1 year

Full pageMurray’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 3.2% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 2.6 years of income Rents$831 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Climate

The climate in Murray brings four seasons and pleasant summers

Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 13°; snowfall runs to about 28 inches a winter. Summers in Murray are warm, and winters cold.

28″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter16–35°

Spring39–61°

Summer62–83°

Fall41–63°

Oct 9

typical first frost

Apr 29

typical last frost

+0.6°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageMurray’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 85°, January lows 13°Rain & snow28″ of snow a winter · 37 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.6° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy Murray is

43% of adults have obesity in Murray. Only 8 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Murray.

	Murray	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	19%	15%	14%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	43%	38%	35%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	15%	13%	14%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	30%	26%	25%

32 measures vs. Iowa

0 better20 too close to call12 worse

What stands out	Murray	IA
More adults with COPD	9.7%	6.9%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	15.8%	11.6%
More smokers	19.3%	14.5%

Clarke County Hospital

9.5 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageMurray’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore smokers Hospitals & doctors nearby9.5 miles to an ER · Clarke County Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than IA on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Natural hazards

Murray faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by drought

43% of Murray’s expected losses from natural hazards come from drought, followed by inland flooding at 16%. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Murray after 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2024.

41risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

DroughtInland floodingCold waves

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageMurray’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesModerate risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters3 federal disasters · Paid out in Murray Get ready11 events a year, on average · Ready for drought

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Murray

18pages on Murray

The big questions

Schools2 schools HealthBetter than IA on 0 of 32 CDC measures Cost of living$169K typical home · up 3.2% in a year Work & commute$66K median household income · 121 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 41% of U.S. communities · drought

Out and about

PlacesAttractions14 nearby · Winterset City Park 20 mi LibraryMurray Public Library Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1869 Famous people2 born in Murray Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 60 residents Climate85° summer highs · 28″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 50174 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Murray; the nearest are

Southwestern Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Creston22.6 mi$8,064 in-state tuition Northwest Missouri State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Maryville, MO68.3 mi$10,611 in-state tuition

About 1 of every 100 Murray residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

99% of working residents leave Murray for work

Where Murray’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

121jobs based in Murray

1%of working residents work in town

34 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Murray

City in Iowa, USA

Murray is a city in Clarke County, Iowa, United States. The population was 684 at the time of the 2020 census.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area: 0.8 sq mi
Elevation: 1,217 ft
ZIP code: 50174

Questions about Murray

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Murray, IA a good place to live?

Murray has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

What is Murray, IA known for?

2 notable people were born here, including Meridel Le Sueur and Glenn Parker.

Post to Murray

Check your email

MurrayIA

Is Murray a good place to live?

600 people, and everyone knows the way

157 years in pictures

Moving to Murray: who provides what

The data

Murray stands out in Iowa and nationally: a smaller share of its working residents work locally