IAMap-doton-Oakland, 2004
Oakland’s story
145 years in pictures
Census counts: 686 in 1890, 1,524 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
- 1881Oakland is settled
OaklandIA
A town of 1,489, settled in 1881.
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,489
2025 Census estimate · −2.2% since 2020
Typical home
$223K
+4.6% in a year
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
39.4
years
Jobs based here
1,241
A job hub
Is Oakland a good place to live?
Oakland’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A+ for civic life; its weakest is a C for hazard risk. 22% of working residents work locally in Oakland, below Iowa’s towns (31%) but above U.S. towns (8%). On civic life, just 27 of Iowa’s 271 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Chautauqua Park, at 35 acres. Oakland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Oakland stand out
Where Oakland beats most towns.
Typical home value
Oakland$223K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
2.6 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 95% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here1,241
Residents who work668
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 92% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Small town
1,489 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Oakland grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Oakland is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SchoolsC+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.2 of 20; 4.8% of households have no car; 2.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Jobs & income$81K median household incomeC+Open →HealthCass County Memorial Hospital 21.9 miles awayB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsBOpen →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life7.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Oakland: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oakland, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterOakland Munic Water UtilityNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Oakland’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 code5156051560 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 Oakland.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 1.9 jobs for every working resident, Oakland draws in 1,095 commuters
About one in 5 of Oakland’s working residents works in town. 14% of Oakland residents live below the poverty line, above both the Iowa town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Jobs based in Oakland grew to 1,241 in 2023, 104 more than in 2013.
22%work in town
| Oakland | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 8.5% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Oakland22%
Council Bluffs16%
Omaha13%
Atlantic5%
Harlan3%
24 mi
median commute distance
1,241
jobs based in Oakland
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 60% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC+
Oakland’s schools rank behind 63% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Riverside Community School District. Its one school is below.
37%of IA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 178 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Oakland
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oakland.
68risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
8
paid flood claims since 1993
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In Oakland, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Oakland has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
28″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–34°
Spring39–62°
Summer62–84°
Fall40–63°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Who lives here
An age mix much like Iowa’s
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. Oakland has lost 2.2% of its people since 2020, down to 1,489 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
39.4median age · IA 38.6
| Oakland | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 21% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 19% | 18% |
OaklandIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
14%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma8%
High school39%
Some college21%
Associate’s11%
Bachelor’s16%
Graduate6%
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Oakland | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.3% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.3% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.2% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.9% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 39% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
HousingCost of living grade A
Oakland’s typical home value is about $223K
The typical Oakland home is worth about $223,000, up 4.6% in a year, 6% below the Iowa typical home. 63% of households own their home in Oakland.
$223KZillow home value
| Oakland | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $878 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Oakland$223K
Iowa$237K
+4.6%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthB−
Residents of Oakland are less healthy than 53% of U.S. towns
Oakland beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of Oakland adults binge drink.
47%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Oakland | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 36% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
1 better29 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Oakland | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.2% | 11.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.9% | 8.7% |
Cass County Memorial Hospital
21.9 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,199 acres
0.3 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chautauqua Park | — | 35 |
| 2. Schueman Park | 0.2 mi | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Oakland
19pages on Oakland
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Oakland; the nearest are
Iowa Western Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Council Bluffs21 mi$6,930 in-state tuitionUniversity of Nebraska Medical CenterUniversity or college · Public · Omaha, NE30.2 mi
About 6 of every 100 Oakland residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
A job hub
Every workday, about 1,095 people come to Oakland for work
Where Oakland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
1,241jobs based in Oakland
22%of working residents work in town
24 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Oakland
City in Iowa, USA
Oakland is a city located along the West Nishnabotna River in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 1,524 at the time of the 2020 census. Formerly named Big Grove, Oakland is home to Nishna Heritage Museum and a number of historical buildings.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,106 ft
- ZIP code
- 51560
- Area code
- 712
Questions about Oakland
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Oakland, 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.