City · Chickasaw County, Iowa

Nashua, Iowa

Nashua is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa. It has 1,622 residents. Nashua, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 83 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,703 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #123 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), social associations (high) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on public EV charging ports (low), mental health providers (low) and new business applications (low).

83Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,703 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #123 of 281 in IA
Population: 1,622 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 555.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 1955335

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety94#877/15,637
Economy63#5,792/15,631
Housing93#978/14,977
Health58#6,544/15,609
Healthcare50#7,769/15,650
Environment93#1,144/15,453
Education48#8,088/15,649
Infrastructure27#11,426/15,650
Community89#1,657/15,651
Leisure & amenities81#2,998/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Nashua, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Chickasaw County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Property crime rate · low180 /100k
99/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationChickasaw County value
Social associations · high22.3 /10k
99/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChickasaw County value
Public libraries · high5.1 /10k
99/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesChickasaw County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Iowa 9.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataChickasaw County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAChickasaw County value
Mammography screening · high58.0%
97/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChickasaw County value

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Iowa 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyChickasaw County value
Mental health providers · low60 /100k
7/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChickasaw County value
New business applications · low8.8 /1k
13/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauChickasaw County value
Distance to an airport · high86 mi
15/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChickasaw County value
Primary care physicians · low34 /100k
15/100Iowa 74 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChickasaw County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high77 mi
16/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauChickasaw County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,506 (2015-2019) → 1,622 (2020-2024)
+7.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.3% (2015-2019) → 86.7% (2020-2024)
+9.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$49,145 (2015-2019) → $66,597 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateImproving
8.9% (2015-2019) → 3.5% (2020-2024)
−5.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
39.6% (2015-2019) → 35.1% (2020-2024)
−4.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
22.7% (2015-2019) → 19.1% (2020-2024)
−3.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Nashua, Iowa improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+36%$49,145 → $66,597
Broadband+9.4 points77.3% → 86.7%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Nashua, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.3 min2015-2019	25.1 min2020-2024	+1.8 min	Within the margin of error	29%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.5%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Broadband subscriptions	77.3%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+9.4 points	Improved	56%
Effective property tax rate	1.35%2015-2019	1.22%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	43%
High school diploma or higher	92.4%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	75%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4242015-2019	0.4012020-2024	−0.022	Within the margin of error	69%
Median household income	$49,1452015-2019	$66,5972020-2024	+36%	Improved	66%
Poverty rate	10.6%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	71%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.7%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Rent-burdened households	39.6%2015-2019	35.1%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Within the margin of error	71%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Nashua, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Nashua, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Nashua, Iowa itself moved −2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,622 residents (±271)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

757 households (±120)

Nashua, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k21%†158
$25k–50k19%†146
$50k–75k

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

757 households (±120)

Nashua, Iowa
Iowa share

Own81%612
Rent19%†145

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

828 workers (±132)

Nashua, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone85%701
Carpool9.9%†82
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Chickasaw County, the county holding most of Nashua's residents.

Chickasaw County has 353 employer establishments, 301 for every 10,000 residents (1.21× the US rate of 248; 1.16× Iowa's), with 4,157 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,923. The Census Bureau also counts 939 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 353; 939 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 301; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 4,157
Average annual pay: $55,923; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Chickasaw County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	43	36.7	2.37×More than typical	152	$51,164	82
Truck transportation	28	23.9	4.73×More than typical	124	$76,653	57
Religious organizations	23	19.6	3.54×More than typical	59	$32,610	—
Restaurants and other eating places	17	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	209	$12,450	—
Building equipment contractors	15	12.8	2.13×More than typical	80	$45,738	8
Ambulatory health care services	13	11.1	0.53×Fewer than typical	61	$51,541	15
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	11.1	2.53×More than typical	53	$44,792	20
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	12	10.2	3.25×More than typical	33	$75,364	13
Full-service restaurants	12	10.2	1.33×More than typical	152	$10,355	—
Banks and credit unions	10	8.5	2.64×More than typical	83	$60,229	—
Gasoline stations	9	7.7	2.37×Too few to compare	166	$24,705	—
Other specialty trade contractors	9	7.7	3.06×Too few to compare	19	$45,368	34

Rank places for an industry Open Chickasaw County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,713 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Nashua is mostly in Chickasaw County.

See federal money in Chickasaw County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Nashua, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ashley HinsonR-IA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Chickasaw County96100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Chickasaw County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1955335

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends