What it's like to live in Indianola
Indianola is a small city in Iowa with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Indianola deals with cold, harsh winters and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Growing population
The not so good
- Cold, harsh winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Indianola compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Indianola
Based on Indianola's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,972
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,440 a year
- 45% of Indianola renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$47,500
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,750
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 30% below US
$986/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $986 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $237,500. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $237,500 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Warren County is 3.2%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Warren County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 57% below US
140 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 3267/100k · Indianola Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 16% below US
22 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 21.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 14% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 15°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforceNear US average
35% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 35% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Bottom line
Indianola's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold, harsh winters and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city. A year of median rent ($986/mo) equals 16% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Indianola
All Iowa guides →Moving to Des Moines →
15 mi away · pop. 212,421
Rent $1,090/mo · Income $65,932
Compare with Indianola →Moving to Pleasant Hill →
16 mi away · pop. 11,136
Rent $1,215/mo · Income $90,508
Compare with Indianola →Not sure Indianola is the one?
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