Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 476, settled in 1878.
Only 4 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Whittemore. Whittemore 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: 105 in 1880, a peak of 741 in 1960, 497 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004 and a map from 1980 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whittemore, 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 Whittemore.
Most working residents leave Whittemore for work: only 2% work in town. Whittemore’s average trip to work is 15 minutes, where Iowa’s towns sit at 19 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 4.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Whittemore.
| Whittemore | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Whittemore home is worth about $167,000, up 7.4% in a year, 29% below the Iowa typical home. 87% of Whittemore households own their home, above both Iowa’s towns (70%) and U.S. towns (73%).
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Whittemore has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 8° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Whittemore beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 22% of Whittemore adults binge drink. Only 10 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Whittemore.
| Whittemore | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Whittemore | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72.2% | 66.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Whittemore; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Whittemore residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Whittemore’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, USA
Whittemore is a city in Kossuth County, Iowa, United States. The population was 497 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Whittemore has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.