Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 472, settled in 1909.
The biggest park or preserve is Caldwell Park, at 43 acres. University Park has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 361 in 1920, 487 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in University Park, 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 University Park.
Among households in University Park, 58% own their home, below both Iowa’s towns (70%) and U.S. towns (73%). In University Park, the going rate for rent is $739 a month.
| University Park | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $739 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In University Park, the FEMA risk score is 21 of 100. Federal aid has come to University Park households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2010. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 42% come from inland flooding and 23% from tornadoes.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The top destinations are Oskaloosa (31%), Ottumwa (7%) and Pella (4%). University Park had 34 jobs in 2023, down 118 from 2013. The mean commuting time for University Park comes to 17 minutes. The median commute is under 18 miles.
| University Park | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 0.4% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 141 Iowa towns, just 6 have a lower median age than University Park. People 65 and older are 6% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 34% of residents (23% statewide). Since 2020, University Park has lost 3.1% of its people, to 472 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Just over a quarter of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 31% across Iowa.
| University Park | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.1 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 25% | 29% |
45% women, 55% men
About 122 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.7 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| University Park | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.9% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 17.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.6% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 3.3% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 2.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.5% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.5% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.8% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 10 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than University Park. CDC measures, 32 in all: University Park beats Iowa on 3 and trails on 1. Among adults in the town, 22% binge drink, against 20% in Iowa’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. Also worth knowing: for adults locally, the share who had a checkup this year is 75%.
| University Park | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 12% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | University Park | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.6% | 11.2% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.5% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 74.4% | 77.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Count the trails in 1 park or preserve and they come to 0.1 miles.
| University Park | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.1% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Caldwell Park | — | 43 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of University Park
About 2 of every 100 University Park residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where University Park’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, United States
University Park is a city in Mahaska County, Iowa, United States. The population was 487 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
University Park has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.