Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Oelwein grades D overall, ranked 128th of 140 in Iowa, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its public schools trail 96% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. The median household income is $47K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. On health, just 15 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Oelwein has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Otter Creek Bridge and Hotel Mealey. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 2 have a lower median household income than Oelwein.
Where Oelwein beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Wings Park Elementary School | 1–4 | 294 |
| Little Husky Learning Center | PK–K | 173 |
| Oelwein Middle School | 5–8 | 350 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Oelwein is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 397 in 1880, a peak of 8,282 in 1960, 5,920 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 2 maps from 1901 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oelwein, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Oelwein.
Oelwein trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by the Oelwein Community School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Oelwein High School, with 334 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oelwein Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 350 | D |
| Oelwein High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 334 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $110K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 1.8 years of the county’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $110K) costs less against local pay than in 96% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Oelwein home is worth about $110,000, about the same as a year ago, 54% below the Iowa typical home. At $847 a month, Oelwein’s median rent is close to Iowa’s towns ($913 a month) and below U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Oelwein | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $847 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 4,534 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oelwein’s, it is healthier than 54%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
Oelwein beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Oelwein, above both the Iowa town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 40% of Oelwein adults have high blood pressure.
| Oelwein | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Oelwein | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.3% | 11.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 6.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.5% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Oelwein has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Oelwein is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Oelwein’s working residents works in town. 19% of residents live below the poverty line in Oelwein. Since 2013, Oelwein has added 139 jobs, to 2,724 in 2023.
| Oelwein | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.4 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Delwein City Park, at 65 acres.
| Oelwein | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 5.4% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Delwein City Park | 0.5 mi | 65 |
| 2. Red Gate Park | 0.1 mi | 33 |
| 3. Wings Park | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 40 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oelwein.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Oelwein’s violent crime rate is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| Oelwein | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oelwein
About 1 of every 100 Oelwein residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
3 places in Oelwein on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Oelwein.
City in Iowa, United States
Oelwein is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,920 at the time of the 2020 census, a decrease of 11.5% from the 2000 census. The largest community in Fayette County, it is located at the junction of State Highways 3 and 150.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oelwein grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #128 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. That is 1.8 years of the area's median household income ($60,165 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
9 notable people were born here, including Dick Wagner and John Francis Kinney.
