Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Hiawatha, Iowa
Hiawatha's population was 7,185 in the Census Bureau's April 2020 estimates base and 7,347 in its 2024 estimate. It is a Linn County city with a short history, and the city tells it itself.
Housing at a glance
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Population, April 2020 estimates base | 7,185 |
| Population, 2024 estimate | 7,347 |
| Housing units (give or take) | 3,183 (give or take 294) |
| Median year built (give or take) | 1992 (give or take 3 years) |
| Built in 1939 or earlier | 5.6% |
| Built in 2000 or later | 32.3% |
| Single-family homes standing alone | 48.0% |
| In buildings of five or more units | 23.2% |
| Mobile homes | 10.7% |
| Owner-occupied homes | 66.8% |
| Renter-occupied homes | 33.2% |
| Householders who moved in during 2020 or later | 33.4% |
| Median gross rent | $855 a month |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $216,900 |
| Residents 3 and over enrolled in college or graduate school | 2.1% |
| About these figures | Population is the Census Bureau's April 2020 estimates base and 2024 estimate; the rest are Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. They are sample-based estimates with margins, and they describe housing and households, not floors |
Homes by year built
| Year built | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 or later | 150 | 4.7% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 308 | 9.7% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 569 | 17.9% |
| 1990 to 1999 | 697 | 21.9% |
| 1980 to 1989 | 281 | 8.8% |
| 1970 to 1979 | 473 | 14.9% |
| 1960 to 1969 | 233 | 7.3% |
| 1950 to 1959 | 257 | 8.1% |
| 1940 to 1949 | 36 | 1.1% |
| 1939 or earlier | 179 | 5.6% |
A city named for a trailer company
The City of Hiawatha says that in 1946 Fay Clark looked out onto farm fields and had a vision of houses and a highway running through a new city. In 1950, Clark and another 45 residents signed a petition seeking to become the 17th incorporated town in Linn County, and the town would be named after Clark's trailer company (City of Hiawatha, community history page, as of 2026).
What stands out
Hiawatha has the highest share of mobile homes among the eleven towns, about 11 percent of its units, against 3 percent in Cedar Rapids and 4 percent in Marion. Fewer than half of its units, about 48 percent, are single-family homes standing alone. The stock is mostly from the last four decades: about 31 percent from the 1980s and 1990s and about 32 percent from 2000 or later. The median gross rent, $855 a month, is among the lowest of the eleven towns; its own margin of error is a tight ±$31, but some other towns' rent estimates carry much wider margins, which makes an exact ranking unreliable.