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Sumner IA, October 2013

SumnerIA

A town of 2,106, settled in 1870. A typical home worth about $148K.

Photo: Orange Suede Sofa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,106
+0.1% since 2010
Typical home
$148K
+1.8% in a year
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
47.5
years
Jobs based here
839
Balanced

What makes Sumner stand out

The 2 things Sumner does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Sumner’s report card

See the data ↓

Now in Sumner

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59°
Cloudy
H 0° · L 57°

Upcoming events

Nothing on the calendar.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Sumner. Another town gets a different order.

Housing

A typical Sumner home is worth about $148K

The typical Sumner home is worth about $148,000, up 1.8% in a year, 38% below the Iowa typical home.

$148KZillow home value

Typical home value

Sumner$148K
Iowa$240K
+1.8%
value change, 1 year
3
homes sold in May
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →
Climate

Snowy winters, pleasant summers

Sumner has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

41″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter12–28°
Spring35–57°
Summer59–80°
Fall38–59°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Work & commute

About one in five working residents works right in Sumner

About one in 5 of Sumner’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Waterloo (14%), Waverly (5%) and Cedar Rapids (4%). Half commute less than 23 miles.

22%work in town

Where working residents work

In Sumner22%
Waterloo14%
Waverly5%
Cedar Rapids4%
Cedar Falls4%
23 mi
median commute distance
839
jobs based in Sumner
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Safety

Crime reported in Sumner

Sumner's reported crime rate is well below Iowa's. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025.

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Sumner1
Iowa2.4
U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Sumner0.5
Iowa12
U.S.15.5
2
violent crimes reported in 2025
1
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →
Health

Healthier than 50% of U.S. towns

Sumner beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.

B−Health Grade
32 measures vs. Iowa
2 better24 too close to call6 worse
What stands outSumnerIA
More adults treating high blood pressure81.4%77.8%
More adults getting cholesterol checked86.5%84.1%
More older adults who have lost all their teeth15%11.6%
Community Memorial Hospital Medical Center
0.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
43rd
percentile among IA towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Schools

Sumner’s public schools outperform 50% of Iowa districts

The public schools Sumner’s kids attend outperform 50% of Iowa’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

B−School Grade
SchoolGradesStudentsGrade
Durant Elementary SchoolPK–4209C+
Sumner-Fredericksburg High School9–12243A−
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state testsAll 2 schools →
Outdoors

0% of Sumner is conserved land

0.0 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves.

0%conserved
Map of Sumner: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,574 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
Biggest places to walkTrailsAcres
1. Sumner City Park—19
2. Cub Park—9
3. Sumner Family Aquatic Park—4
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 50% of U.S. communities.

50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
50Moderate riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesStrong wind
17
paid flood claims since 2004
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Sumner IA, October 2013
2013 · Sumner IA, October 2013 · Wikimedia Commons
Sumner’s story

156 years in pictures

5 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 2 places on the National Register.

Photograph of the Bank ofSummer High School (Summer, Iowa)FI0007898 Sumner 1910
Explore the history →

Landmarks

2 places in Sumner on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Famous people from Sumner

5 notable people were born in Sumner.

See all 5 →

About Sumner

City in Iowa, United States

Official town website ↗

Sumner is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The city is located along the county's eastern border, between Bremer and Fayette counties. The population was 2,030 at the time of the 2020 census. The Bremer County portion of Sumner is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was established in 1870, and incorporated in 1894. The community is named after American political leader Charles Sumner. Sumner is home to Life Line Emergency Vehicles, a major manufacturer of ambulances.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Established
1870
Population
2,030
Area
2.5 sq mi
Elevation
1,060 ft
ZIP code
50674
Area code
563

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Photo of Sumner

Sumner, IA · Photo: Orange Suede Sofa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗