Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,240, settled in 1859. More miles of trail than almost any town in Kansas.
Trash & recyclingIola gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $91K, 1.5 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, 113th of 150 graded towns in Kansas. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 24 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, and the median household income is $54K, and 9% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, it has 12 miles of trail. 37% of working residents work locally in Iola, against 15% in Kansas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 12 of Kansas’ 372 towns do better. Iola is home to Allen County Community College.
Where Iola beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
2.1% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kansas), ordered by how far Iola is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,096 in 1880, a peak of 9,032 in 1910, 5,396 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 6 maps from 1886 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Iola, 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 Iola.
Iola is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and is one of Kansas’s best towns for the outdoors.
Its A for the outdoors ranks #4 of 151 in Kansas.
The trail density in Iola is 2.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Lehigh Portland State Park, 309 acres with 8.7 miles of trail. More trails than any other town in Kansas.
| Iola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.4 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lehigh Portland State Park | 8.7 mi | 309 |
| 2. Riverside Park | 0.6 mi | 46 |
| 3. Colborn Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Iola school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iola Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 619 | – |
| Iola Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 296 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KS on state tests and graduation
At 1.5 years of the county’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $91K) costs less against local pay than in 97% of Kansas towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 2% in the past year while the Kansas typical home rose 3.5%.
Iola’s median rent is $767 a month. The typical Iola home is worth about $91,000, 63% below the Kansas typical home. 61% of households own their home in Iola.
| Iola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $767 a month | $977 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 237 to 153 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Iola reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less.
| Iola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.4 per 1,000 residents | 10.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Iola 1 W weather station records that about 40 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 91% of Kansas places with climate records. July afternoons average 89.6°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 79% of Kansas places with climate records; January nights average 22°.
Iola has chilly winters and warm summers. About 7 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Iola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
| January low | 22°F | 21°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Iola’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Humboldt (7%), Chanute (6%) and Arkansas City (4%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Iola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 7,192 U.S. towns with household incomes like Iola’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Iola beats the Kansas average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 29% of Iola adults get no exercise outside work.
| Iola | Kansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Iola | KS |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.6% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.7% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.7% | 3.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 65 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Iola.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Iola
About 8 of every 100 Iola residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Kansas.
4 places in Iola on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Iola.
City in Allen County, Kansas
Iola () is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Kansas, United States. The city is situated along the Neosho River in southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,396. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn, the wife of Josiah Colborn, one of the town's founders.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Iola.
| Town | KS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iola · Iola Township | #113 | C | A | D | C | C+ |
| Bassett | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bassett isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Iola Township and Iola are one community, graded once. Compare Iola with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Iola grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #113 of 150 in Kansas. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and C for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
7 notable people were born here, including Randy Stuart and Charles Frederick Scott.
