Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,821, platted in 1857. Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Onawa is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 114th of 140 graded towns in Iowa, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $158K, 2.3 years of the county’s $68K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its National Register listings include Onawa Public Library and Monona County Courthouse. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Onawa, above both the Iowa town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 8 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a higher July high than Onawa.
Where Onawa beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Onawa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 478 in 1870, 2,906 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Onawa, 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 Onawa.
18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Onawa. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Onawa. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Onawa.
| Onawa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 38% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Onawa | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.2% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the West Monona Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Monona ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 352 | C |
| West Monona High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 161 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
At 2.3 years of the county’s $68K median household income, the typical home (about $158K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Onawa home is worth about $158,000, up 2.8% in a year, 33% below the Iowa typical home.
| Onawa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,037 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Onawa has cold winters and warm summers. Onawa’s January low is 11°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Onawa’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Onawa is 18 minutes. The top destinations are Sioux City (13%), Omaha (4%) and Des Moines (2%).
| Onawa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.9 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Gramm Wetland, at 207 acres.
| Onawa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gaukel Park | 0.3 mi | 19 |
| 2. Gramm Wetland | — | 207 |
| 3. Monona County Arboretum | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Onawa
About 3 of every 100 Onawa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
3 places in Onawa on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Onawa.
City in Iowa, United States
Onawa is a city in and the county seat of Monona County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,906 at the time of the 2020 Census. It is the largest town on the Iowa side of the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Onawa grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #114 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C− for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
Onawa was platted in 1857 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Vernon Prichard and Brad Hansen.
