1939 · Farmer in town · Library of Congress
Collins’s story
Collins in pictures
6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives.
CollinsIA
A town of 533. Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
Population
533
residents
Typical home
$279K
+5.9% in a year
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
32.3
years
Jobs based here
63
A commuter town
What makes Collins stand out
The thing Collins does most differently from other towns.
Small town
533 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Collins’s report card
Now in Collins
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Live in Collins? Is a C+ for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Collins’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Collins. Another town gets a different order.
Work & commute
Most working residents commute out of Collins
Most working residents leave Collins for work: only 1% work in town. The top destinations are Ames (25%), Nevada (10%) and Des Moines (10%). Half commute less than 19 miles.
1%work in town
Where working residents work
In Collins1%
Ames25%
Nevada10%
Des Moines10%
Ankeny7%
19 mi
median commute distance
63
jobs based in Collins
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Climate
Four seasons, pleasant summers
Collins has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
31″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter15–32°
Spring38–59°
Summer62–82°
Fall41–62°
Oct 12
typical first frost
Apr 24
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Schools
Collins’s public schools outperform 36% of Iowa districts
The public schools Collins’s kids attend trail 64% of Iowa’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
C+School Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collins-Maxwell Elementary School | PK–5 | 182 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state testsAll 1 schools →
Housing
A typical Collins home is worth about $279K
The typical Collins home is worth about $279,000, up 5.9% in a year, 16% above the Iowa typical home.
$279KZillow home value
Typical home value
Collins$279K
Iowa$240K
+5.9%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in April
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Health
How healthy Collins is
Collins beats the Iowa average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
32 measures vs. Iowa
8 better23 too close to call1 worse
| What stands out | Collins | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 12% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9% | 11.2% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 73.8% | 77.8% |
Story County Hospital
9.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Outdoors
2.2% of Collins is conserved land
0.0 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.
2.2%conserved
2.2%
conserved · 7 of 312 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Heart of Iowa Nature Trail | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
Natural hazards
Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 48% of U.S. communities.
48risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingDroughtTornadoes
2
paid flood claims since 2010
6
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
A commuter town
99% of working residents leave Collins for work
Where Collins’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
63jobs based in Collins
1%of working residents work in town
19 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Collins
City in Iowa, United States
Collins is a city in Story County, Iowa, United States. The population was 495 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Population
- 495
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 997 ft
- ZIP code
- 50055