Vail, IA, 2020
Vail’s story
155 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1871Vail is settled
VailIA
Population 380: a town settled in 1871.
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
380
2025 Census estimate · −3.1% since 2020
Typical home
$206K
+14.5% in a year
Household income
$71K
median
Median age
26.1
years
Jobs based here
29
A commuter town
Is Vail a good place to live?
29% of residents live below the poverty line in Vail, above both the Iowa town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Among 138 Iowa towns, just 3 have a lower midpoint rent than Vail. Vail has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
380 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Vail: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vail, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVail Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Vail’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 hereCrawford County AuditorCrawford County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code5146551465 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 Vail.
Work & commute
Vail has 0.1 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
The average commute in Vail is 25 minutes. Half the trips to work are shorter than 17 miles. The top destinations are Denison (25%), Carroll (9%) and Westside (6%).
0%work in town
| Vail | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Vail0%
Denison25%
Carroll9%
Westside6%
Omaha3%
17 mi
median commute distance
29
jobs based in Vail
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Vail faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by drought
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 76% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Vail households in 3 declared disasters; the latest was in 2010. FEMA puts two fifths of the town’s expected hazard losses down to drought, and 33% to inland flooding.
76risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingTornadoes
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Vail: four seasons and pleasant summers
July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 10° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
35″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter13–31°
Spring37–59°
Summer60–82°
Fall39–62°
Oct 11
typical first frost
Apr 27
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Housing
Vail stands out in Iowa and nationally, with more of its households who are owner-occupiers
The typical Vail home is worth about $206,000, up 14.5% in a year, 13% below the Iowa typical home.
$206KZillow home value
Typical home value
Vail$206K
Iowa$237K
+14.5%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Health
How healthy Vail is
The share of adults in Vail who have diabetes: 13%. In Vail, 42% of adults have obesity.
| Vail | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
0 better29 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Vail | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.4% | 11.6% |
| More adults with diabetes | 13.4% | 11.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.7% | 6.6% |
Crawford County Memorial Hospital
8.5 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 366 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Vail Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Vail
18pages on Vail
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Vail; the nearest are
Buena Vista UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Storm Lake40.3 mi$41,798 tuitionIowa Central Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Fort Dodge59 mi$5,496 in-state tuitionNebraska Indian Community CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Macy, NE59.2 mi$4,080 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Vail residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Vail for work
Where Vail’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
29jobs based in Vail
0%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Vail
City in Iowa, United States
Vail is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States. The population was 396 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,260 ft
- ZIP code
- 51465
Questions about Vail
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Vail, IA a good place to live?
Vail has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.