Wieting Theater · National Register of Historic Places
Toledo’s story
173 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1870.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1853Toledo is settled
ToledoIA
Photo: Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,384
2025 Census estimate · +0.6% since 2020
Typical home
$173K
+4% in a year
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
40.8
years
Jobs based here
1,000
Balanced
Is Toledo a good place to live?
Toledo’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D for incomes. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Toledo, against 11% in Iowa’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 6 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on incomes. Toledo's public schools trail 90% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. Toledo has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Wieting Theater and Tama County Courthouse. Toledo has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Toledo stand out
Where Toledo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Typical home value
Toledo$173K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA−
2.4 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 80% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Wieting TheaterHistoryA−
Settled in 1853
A history going back 173 years.
South Tama County schools
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| South Tama County Middle School | 5–8 | 413 |
Worth knowing · SchoolsD
On state tests and graduation
NCES · EDFacts.
How Toledo grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Toledo is from typical.
Jobs & income1,000 jobs based hereDOpen →SchoolsDOpen →HealthUnitypoint Health - Marshalltown 17 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.5 of 20; 2.2% of households have no car; 1.7% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsConserved land, trails and parksB−Open →History2 notable people born hereA−Open →Civic life9.2 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 40.8; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Toledo: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Toledo, and how to reach them.
PowerInterstate Power and Light17.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterToledo Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Toledo’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 hereTama County AuditorTama County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5234252342 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 Toledo.
SchoolsD
Toledo earns a D for schools
Its public schools are run by the South Tama County school district. Its one school is below.
10%of IA districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Tama County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 413 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Toledo is less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns
Toledo beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 33% of adults get no exercise outside work in Toledo, where Iowa’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 25%. 18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Toledo.
17%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Toledo | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 15% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better17 too close to call15 worse
| What stands out | Toledo | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 11.2% | 7.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.3% | 12% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.1% | 6.4% |
Unitypoint Health - Marshalltown
17 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A−
Homes in Toledo are worth about $173K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Toledo home is worth about $173,000, up 4% in a year, 27% below the Iowa typical home. 61% of Toledo households own their home.
$173KZillow home value
| Toledo | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $887 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Toledo$173K
Iowa$237K
+4%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Toledo faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Toledo has four seasons and pleasant summers
Toledo has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 33 inches of snow falls in a winter.
33″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter14–31°
Spring37–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall40–62°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 30
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Toledo’s workers commute out: the town has 0.9 jobs for each of them
Toledo’s median household income is $53,000. Since 2013, Toledo has lost 157 jobs, to 1,000 in 2023. Toledo’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
11%work in town
| Toledo | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Toledo11%
Tama15%
Marshalltown10%
Des Moines5%
Grinnell3%
19 mi
median commute distance
1,000
jobs based in Toledo
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 61% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Toledo
18pages on Toledo
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Toledo; the nearest are
Marshalltown Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Marshalltown16.9 mi$5,496 in-state tuitionUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity or college · Public · Cedar Falls36.8 mi$9,936 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Toledo residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Landmarks
5 places in Toledo on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Toledo
City in Iowa, United States
Toledo is a city in, and the county seat of Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,369 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1853
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 906 ft
- ZIP code
- 52342
- Area code
- 641
Questions about Toledo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Toledo, 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 Toledo, IA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Donald Hayworth and King Cole.