Welcome Sign, 2011
Nashua’s story
168 years in pictures
Census counts: 817 in 1870, 1,551 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
- 1858Nashua is settled
NashuaIA
A town of 1,505, settled in 1858. 2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Trash day: FridayPhoto: RifeIdeas · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
1,505
2025 Census estimate · −3.2% since 2020
Typical home
$194K
+3.8% in a year
Household income
$67K
median
Median age
38.4
years
Jobs based here
315
A commuter town
Is Nashua a good place to live?
Nashua’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a C for hazard risk. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Nashua. Nashua has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Nashua stand out
Where Nashua beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Nashua14.8
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IA town7.5
Civic lifeA
2 times the nonprofits per person
than the typical Iowa town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Typical home value
Nashua$194K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
2.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 94% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
A commuter town
89% of working residents leave Nashua for work
Where Nashua’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
315jobs based in Nashua
11%of working residents work in town
21 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Nashua grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Nashua is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.9 of 20; 5% of households have no car; 1.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitC+Open →Jobs & income$67K median household incomeC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →HealthFloyd County Medical Center 10 miles awayC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsBOpen →History2 notable people born hereB−Open →Civic life14.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateCold winters, 82° summer afternoons, 36″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 38.4; 14% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Nashua: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Nashua, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNashua Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFridayTrash dayTown site
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 hereChickasaw County AuditorChickasaw County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5065850658 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 Nashua.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
Nashua has 0.4 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Nashua for work: only 11% work in town. At 25 minutes, Nashua’s average trip to work is above the Iowa town median (19 minutes) and near the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Nashua fell to 315 in 2023, 50 fewer than in 2013.
11%work in town
| Nashua | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Nashua11%
Charles City11%
Waterloo10%
New Hampton8%
Waverly8%
21 mi
median commute distance
315
jobs based in Nashua
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 37% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Nashua’s schools trail 60% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Nashua-Plainfield Community School District. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Nashua-Plainfield Junior-Senior High School, with 311 students.
40%of IA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashua-Plainfield Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 281 | B |
| Nashua-Plainfield Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 311 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Climate
Nashua has four seasons and pleasant summers
Nashua has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 82°F, Nashua’s July high is against 84°F in Iowa’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
36″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–28°
Spring36–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall38–59°
Oct 6
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HousingCost of living grade A
The typical home in Nashua is valued at about $194K
The typical Nashua home is worth about $194,000, up 3.8% in a year, 18% below the Iowa typical home. The median rent in Nashua is $756 a month.
$194KZillow home value
| Nashua | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $756 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Nashua$194K
Iowa$237K
+3.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
High risk in Nashua, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nashua.
64risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
9
paid flood claims since 1999
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthC+
Residents of Nashua are less healthy than 58% of U.S. towns
Nashua beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 20% of adults binge drink in Nashua.
42%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Nashua | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
1 better30 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Nashua | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 70.3% | 66.8% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.7% |
Floyd County Medical Center
10 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
OutdoorsB
Nashua has set aside 7% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
7%conserved
7%
conserved · 142 of 2,030 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cedar View Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Cedar Lake Park | — | 14 |
| 3. Nashua Cedar Access | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nashua
19pages on Nashua
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Nashua; the nearest are
Wartburg CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Waverly15.7 mi$26,250 tuitionUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity or college · Public · Cedar Falls30.4 mi$9,936 in-state tuitionNorth Iowa Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mason City33 mi$6,653 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Nashua residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
About Nashua
City in Iowa, USA
Nashua is a city in Chickasaw County and Floyd County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 1,551, a 6.7% decrease from 2010. The famed Little Brown Church featured in the song "The Church in the Wildwood" is located in Nashua.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 974 ft
- ZIP code
- 50658
- Area code
- 319
Questions about Nashua
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nashua, IA a good place to live?
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Is Nashua, 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.
What is Nashua, IA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Kent Taylor and Charlton Laird.