Wellman iowa, 2010
Wellman’s story
147 years in pictures
Census counts: 654 in 1900, 1,524 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1922 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
- 1879Wellman is settled
Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
1,539
2025 Census estimate · +1.1% since 2020
Typical home
$250K
+9.4% in a year
Household income
$58K
median
Median age
40.4
years
Jobs based here
407
A commuter town
Is Wellman a good place to live?
Wellman’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life and an A− for walkability. Only 2 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of residents 65 or older than Wellman. The biggest park or preserve is North Park, at 21 acres. Wellman has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Wellman stand out
Where Wellman beats most towns.
Typical home value
Wellman$250K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
3.3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 87% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 81% of U.S. towns
4.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
A commuter town
94% of working residents leave Wellman for work
Where Wellman’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
407jobs based in Wellman
6%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Wellman grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Wellman is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.9 of 20; 3.4% of households have no carA−Open →HealthWashington County Hospital and Clinics 14.6 miles awayC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →Jobs & income$58K median household incomeB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 46% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailBOpen →HistoryC+Open →Civic life5.5 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
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 40.4; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Wellman: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wellman, and how to reach them.
PowerInterstate Power and Light17.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterWellman Municipal WaterworksNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpThursdayTrash dayTown site
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 hereWashington County AuditorWashington County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5235652356 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 Wellman.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−
With 0.6 jobs for every working resident, most of Wellman’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Wellman for work: only 6% work in town. 3.6% of Wellman residents live below the poverty line, where Iowa’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Jobs based in Wellman grew to 407 in 2023, 50 more than in 2013.
6%work in town
| Wellman | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Wellman6%
Washington14%
Iowa City13%
Kalona5%
Fairfield3%
20 mi
median commute distance
407
jobs based in Wellman
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 81% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC+
Wellman’s public schools trail 57% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Mid-Prairie Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mid-Prairie High School, with 362 students.
43%of IA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-Prairie West Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–4 | Grades 3–4 | 330 | C+ |
| Mid-Prairie High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 362 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Climate
In Wellman, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
Wellman has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter16–33°
Spring39–61°
Summer61–83°
Fall41–63°
Oct 11
typical first frost
Apr 28
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthC+
On CDC estimates, Wellman is less healthy than 59% of U.S. towns
Wellman beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 30% of Wellman adults sleep under 7 hours, below both Iowa’s towns (32%) and U.S. towns (36%). 40% of Wellman adults have high blood pressure.
41%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Wellman | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
1 better24 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Wellman | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.6% | 11.6% |
Washington County Hospital and Clinics
14.6 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
Homes in Wellman are worth about $250K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Wellman home is worth about $250,000, up 9.4% in a year, 5% above the Iowa typical home. The median rent in Wellman is $820 a month.
$250KZillow home value
| Wellman | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $820 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Wellman$250K
Iowa$237K
+9.4%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Wellman, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wellman.
46risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingStrong windTornadoes
3
paid flood claims since 2007
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsB
Conserved land covers 0% of Wellman
0.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Wellman’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 683 acres
0.9 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Park | 0.9 mi | 21 |
| 2. South Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Wellman
18pages on Wellman
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Wellman; the nearest are
University of IowaUniversity or college · Public · Iowa City20.4 mi$11,283 in-state tuitionKirkwood Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Cedar Rapids32 mi$6,176 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Wellman residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
About Wellman
City in Iowa, United States
Wellman is a city in Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,524 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1879
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 699 ft
- ZIP code
- 52356
- Area code
- 319
Questions about Wellman
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Wellman, 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.