Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,301, settled in 1888. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Iowa reports more crime per resident than 97% of U.S. towns, including 49 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Overall it grades C−, 116th among Louisiana's 161 graded towns. Its schools rank ahead of 81% of Louisiana towns. Its weakest subject is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Iowa’s violent crime rate is 15.9 per 1,000 residents, where Louisiana’s towns sit at 4.3 and U.S. towns at 1.6. 1937 Iowa High School is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Iowa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| J. I. Watson Elementary School | PK–5 | 531 |
| Iowa High School | 6–12 | 1,007 |
2,996 counted in 2010 and 3,436 in 2020; an estimated 3,301 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 4.2%, after 14.7% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Iowa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,857 in 1960, 3,436 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 5 maps from 1932 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Iowa, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Iowa.
Iowa has a longer frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Louisiana rate.
Violent crime runs at 15.9 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Louisiana rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−.
The property crime rate in Iowa is 18.8 per 1,000 residents. Iowa reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less. Within Louisiana, it does better than 31% of towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Calcasieu Parish school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Iowa High School, with 1,007 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. I. Watson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 531 | B− |
| Iowa High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 1,007 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
126 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 21 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1980, 126 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Iowa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Iowa for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Iowa grew to 567 in 2023, 70 more than in 2013. 16% of residents live below the poverty line in Iowa.
| Iowa | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 20% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $56,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,852 U.S. towns with household incomes like Iowa’s, it is less healthy than 57%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Louisiana it is healthier than 76% of the 161 graded towns: much of Louisiana scores lower on these measures.
Iowa beats the Louisiana average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 28% of Iowa adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Iowa | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 26% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 44% | 35% |
| What stands out | Iowa | LA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 11.2% | 18.1% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 12.2% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Jennings weather station, 21 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 292 days, longer than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 42.6°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.4°.
Iowa has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Iowa’s January low is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Iowa | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Iowa home is worth about $245,000, up 3% in a year, 15% above the Louisiana typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Louisiana average. Iowa has lost 4.2% of its people since 2020, down to 3,301 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 27% across Louisiana.
| Iowa | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.5 years | 37.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 20% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.6 points. Across Louisiana, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 77% are men (LA 51%).
| Iowa | LA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 12.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 13.3% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.8% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.5% | 11.5% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.2% | 10.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.8% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.4% | 12.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 40.3% | 32.5% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.8% | 20.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.1% | 7.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.2% | 17% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.3% | 10.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
Just 14 of its 2,185 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Iowa itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lawrence Toups Jr Memorial Park | — | 17 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Iowa
About 4 of every 100 Iowa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
Where Iowa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Louisiana, United States
Iowa () is a town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,436 in 2020. It is part of the Lake Charles metropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Iowa grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #116 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades C for health, D− for safety and A− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Louisiana, it does better than 31% of towns.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($66,700 across the Lake Charles, LA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.