Elma, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Elma is a Census city of 659 people across 1.23 square miles of land, in Howard County. Median household income is $44,375, 68.8 percent of occupied homes are owned.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Elma
What Elma is
- Census place typecity
- Land area1.23 sq mi
- Water area0 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land537 plus or minus 108
- County holding the largest share of its areaHoward County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Elma
How many people live in Elma
- Population659 plus or minus 132
- Median age44.3 plus or minus 11.2
- Population under 18115 plus or minus 38
- Share under 1817.5 percent plus or minus 4.6
- Population 65 and over200 plus or minus 47
- Share 65 and over30.3 percent
- Households295
- Family households145 plus or minus 41
- Share of households that are families49.2 percent plus or minus 10.1
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Elma
Income and work in Elma
- Median household income$44,375 plus or minus $11,881
- Per capita income$30,227 plus or minus $9,839
- Civilian labor force289 plus or minus 92
- Employed285 plus or minus 92
- Unemployed4 plus or minus 6
- Unemployment rate1.4 percent plus or minus 2.0
- Adults 25 and over425
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher91.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher10.4 percent plus or minus 5.4
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree2.1 percent plus or minus 3.1
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Elma
Housing in Elma
- Housing units337
- Occupied units295
- Vacant units42 plus or minus 27
- Vacancy rate12.5 percent plus or minus 7.7
- Owner occupied203 plus or minus 42
- Renter occupied92 plus or minus 41
- Ownership rate68.8 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$81,300
- Median gross rent, monthly$689 plus or minus $297
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.6 percent plus or minus 9.5
- Single family units290
- Share single family86.1 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more28 plus or minus 23
- Share in buildings of two or more8.3 percent plus or minus 6.7
- Mobile homes19 plus or minus 17
- Median year structure built1943
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Elma
How Elma gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute273 plus or minus 93
- Commuting under 15 minutes99 plus or minus 55
- Share commuting under 15 minutes36.3 percent plus or minus 15.8
- Commuting 30 minutes or more111 plus or minus 60
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more40.7 percent plus or minus 17.2
- Drove alone77.3 percent
- Carpooled12.6 percent plus or minus 5.0
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked8.3 percent plus or minus 7.4
- Worked from home1.8 percent plus or minus 2.4
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Elma
Flood risk in Elma
- NFIP communityCity of Elma
- NFIP community number190416
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date09/16/11(M)
The City of Elma participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 190416 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Howard County, not Elma
Howard County context, not Elma figures
- Establishments in Howard County270
- Covered employment, Howard County4,402
- Average annual pay, Howard County$48,223
- Housing units permitted, Howard County8
Every figure in this section is published for Howard County as a whole and is not a measurement of Elma.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Elma questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Elma, Iowa?
659, in 295 households. Elma city covers 1.23 square miles of land, which is 537 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Elma in?
Howard County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Elma?
$44,375. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $81,300. Median gross rent is $689 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Elma in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Elma appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Elma, city of, community 190416, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Elma figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Howard County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Elma.
Is zoning published for Elma?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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