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Indianola, Iowa

Indianola is a small town of about 16,800 people in Warren County, Iowa. It's the county seat. It has grown about 6% since 2020. A typical home costs about 3.1 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Omaha, is about 129 miles away as the crow flies.

County seat

Population
16,829
up 6% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$237,500
Warren County prices up 13% since 2022
Household income
$75,453
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Des Moines area
91.7
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
16 miles
Des Moines, IA
To Omaha
129 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 8.3% below the U.S. average in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.1 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood23 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 1.4 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 32.5 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town6 public schools: 4 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byUnitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi in Des Moines, about 16 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityOmaha is about 129 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Indianola meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$237,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 13%Warren County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$986 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$75,453U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
70%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$3,685 a yearIowa: $2,897
Homes built before 1940
13%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
14%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
1%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
91.7U.S. average = 100 (the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 13% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area, not Indianola alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
16,8292020: 15,882
Median age
35.9 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
18%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
35%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
9%U.S.: 6%
College students
12%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (26%); retail (17%); finance, insurance and real estate (13%)
Unemployment rate
4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
14%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
6%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi, Des Moines, IA, about 16 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

6 public schools in Indianola, run by Indianola Comm School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Simpson College (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Iowa's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
75%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
91%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
12°F
July average high
86°F
Days 90°F or hotter
18 a year
Nights at or below freezing
143 a year
Rain and melted snow
37.8 inches a year
Snow
31 inches a year
Elevation
959 feet

Weather station: Indianola 2W (4 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi, Des Moines, Omaha.

Warren County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including Lake Ahquabi State Park, Bathhouse Area (Area B) and Lake Ahquabi State Park, Picnic Area (Area A).

Campus life. Check Simpson College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Indianola's history on Wikipedia.

Know Indianola?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Ackworth, IA121 people, 5 miles
  • Milo, IA784 people, 8 miles
  • Martensdale, IA426 people, 9 miles
  • St. Marys, IA124 people, 10 miles
  • Hartford, IA747 people, 11 miles
  • Cumming, IA560 people, 13 miles
  • St. Charles, IA641 people, 14 miles
  • Runnells, IA461 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.