Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church · National Register of Historic Places
Sheldahl’s story
171 years in pictures
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1855Sheldahl is settled
SheldahlIA
A town of 306, settled in 1855.
Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Population
306
2025 Census estimate · +2.3% since 2020
Typical home
$225K
−2% in a year
Household income
$81K
median
Median age
36.0
years
Jobs based here
12
A commuter town
Is Sheldahl a good place to live?
Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a higher average trip to work than Sheldahl. Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church is on the National Register of Historic Places. Sheldahl has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
306 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Nearby attractions
All 20 attractions →Casey's Center and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sheldahl. Close and well known come first.
19 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
20 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol18 mi Theme parkAdventureland
11 mi Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum
19 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
18 mi Stadium & arenaDrake StadiumSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Casey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Hilton Coliseum: Johannes Cater--Jaretac (talk) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC), Public domain · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sheldahl: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sheldahl, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSheldahl Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sheldahl’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 herePolk County AuditorPolk County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2026
ZIP code5024350243 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 Sheldahl.
Work & commute
Most of Sheldahl’s workers commute out: the town has 0.1 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Sheldahl for work: only 0% work in town. 5.1% of residents live below the poverty line in Sheldahl, against 11% in Iowa’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Ames (15%), Ankeny (15%) and Des Moines (15%).
0%work in town
| Sheldahl | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sheldahl0%
Ames15%
Ankeny15%
Des Moines15%
West Des Moines9%
15 mi
median commute distance
12
jobs based in Sheldahl
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Who lives here
More of Sheldahl’s residents are under 18 than in the typical Iowa or U.S. town
32% of residents are under 18 in Sheldahl, above both the Iowa town median (23%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Sheldahl’s median age is 36 years. Sheldahl has grown 2.3% since 2020, to 306 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
36median age · IA 38.6
| Sheldahl | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 32% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 36 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 25% | 29% |
SheldahlIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
18%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma9%
High school23%
Some college20%
Associate’s17%
Bachelor’s28%
Graduate3%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 31% and 59% women
The Census survey reached too few of Sheldahl’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±14 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Sheldahl | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.5% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.1% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.3% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.6% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.2% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.9% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 20% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.4% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Climate
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Sheldahl
Sheldahl has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 12° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
33″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–32°
Spring39–60°
Summer62–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 14
typical first frost
Apr 23
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Sheldahl
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Health
A smaller share of adults worry about having enough food in Sheldahl than in most of Iowa or the rest of the country
7.2% of adults worry about having enough food in Sheldahl. Sheldahl beats the Iowa average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 22% of adults binge drink in Sheldahl.
| Sheldahl | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
18 better12 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | Sheldahl | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.8% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 12% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.7% |
Mary Greeley Medical Center
12.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
A typical Sheldahl home is worth about $225K
The typical Sheldahl home is worth about $225,000, down 2% in a year, close to the Iowa typical home. 93% of Sheldahl households own their home.
$225KZillow home value
Typical home value
Sheldahl$225K
Iowa$237K
−2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in March
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Outdoors
Sheldahl has set aside 2.3% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
2.3%conserved
2.3%
conserved · 12 of 515 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. High Trestle Trail | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sheldahl
17pages on Sheldahl
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Sheldahl
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Ankeny9.6 mi$20,270 tuitionIowa State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Ames11.4 mi$10,787 in-state tuitionDes Moines Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Ankeny11.7 mi$5,790 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Sheldahl residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Sheldahl for work
Where Sheldahl’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
12jobs based in Sheldahl
0%of working residents work in town
15 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sheldahl
City in Iowa, United States
Sheldahl is a city in Polk, Boone, and Story counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 297 at the time of the 2020 census. The Boone County portion of Sheldahl is part of the Boone Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Story County portion is part of the Ames Metropolitan Statistical Area. Together, these two areas form the Ames–Boone Combined Statistical Area. The small portion of the city that extends into Polk County is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1855
- Area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,033 ft
- ZIP code
- 50243
Questions about Sheldahl
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sheldahl, IA a good place to live?
Sheldahl has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.