Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,408, settled in 1858.
The best of Ironton’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A− for schools and civic life; the weakest is a D− for hazard risk. On hazard risk, just 6 of Missouri’s 419 towns do worse. The median household income is $47K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 2 of the 171 Missouri towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Ironton. Ironton has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them St. Paul's Episcopal Church and Iron County Courthouse Buildings. Ironton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ironton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Arcadia Valley Elem. | PK–4 | 387 |
| Arcadia Valley Middle | 5–8 | 281 |
| Arcadia Valley High | 9–12 | 306 |
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Missouri), ordered by how far Ironton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 386 in 1860, 1,475 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 4 maps from 1945 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ironton, 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 Ironton.
Ironton beats the Missouri average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Ironton, above both the Missouri town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 34% of Ironton adults get no exercise outside work.
| Ironton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 30% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ironton | MO |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.8% | 8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.5% | 3.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Arcadia Valley R-II. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Arcadia Valley High, with 306 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia Valley Elem.Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 387 | B |
| Arcadia Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 306 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MO on state tests and graduation
The typical Ironton home is worth about $132,000, up 5% in a year, 50% below the Missouri typical home. Ironton’s median rent is $738 a month, against $971 a month in Missouri’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
| Ironton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $738 a month | $971 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 64% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The FEMA risk score in Ironton is 92 of 100. Since 1983, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ironton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ironton has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 22° and about 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Ironton for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Ironton has lost 272 jobs, to 735 in 2023. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Ironton.
| Ironton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,000 | $62,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 13% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 29% of residents (22% statewide). Ironton’s median age is 36.3 years. Ironton has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 1,408 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Ironton | Missouri towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 29% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.3 years | 38.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 22% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Missouri, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Ironton | MO | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.8% | 10.4% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.1% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 11.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.9% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 7.3% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.6% | 8.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.7% | 30.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 20.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12% | 8.4% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.1% | 12.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
Ironton's reported crime rate is well below Missouri's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. No violent crimes were reported in 2025.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ironton. Close and well known come first.
6 mi MountainTaum Sauk Mountain
5 mi State parkElephant Rocks State Park
25 mi National forestMark Twain National Forest
13 mi State parkJohnson's Shut-Ins State Park39 mi National RiverOzark National Scenic Riverways1.1M visitors a yearTaum Sauk Mountain: Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Elephant Rocks State Park: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mark Twain National Forest: Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park: Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Ironton; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Ironton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Missouri.
3 places in Ironton on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Ironton.
City in Missouri, U.S.
Ironton is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,475 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
3 notable people were born here, including Chris Carr and Jeff Tesreau.
