Melrose, Iowa
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Down 1.8% since 2020.
108
people, the 807th-largest of Iowa's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Iowa's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
Every job here goes to someone who lives somewhere else.
100.0%
of 25 jobs located in Melrose are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 19% since the 2010–2014 survey, before inflation.
$875
a month. Iowa's median is $972.
Census ACS 5-year, 2015-2019 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $203.
A $203 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Monroe County.
- $719 Tract 701
- $922 Tract 702
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
The median rent is above what local wages can carry.
$438–$656
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $875 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2015-2019. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 93% of all homes were built before 2000
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
None of three estimates finds a housing shortfall here.
0
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 64% less than Iowa's.
$75,000
median home value in Melrose.
- $75,000 Melrose
- $208,000 Iowa
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year