Atkins, Iowa

City in Benton County · population 2,056 (2020 Census)

Median home: $314,900
Household income: $112,138
Jan low / Jul high: 11° / 83°
Snow a year: 30 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 27
Median age: 37.8

Atkins is a city of 2,056 people in Benton County, Iowa. The median home is worth $314,900, above the typical Iowa town ($156,300). It ranks better for families than 87% of Iowa towns, more upscale than 82% of Iowa towns, easier by car than 82% of Iowa towns.

How Atkins ranks

Percentile among Iowa towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Iowa towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Atkins is worth $314,900, above the typical Iowa town ($156,300). Homes cost about 2.8 times the median household income of $112,138, which is more affordable than 20% of Iowa towns. Median rent is $604 a month. 91.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Iowa towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Atkins	Typical Iowa town
Median home value	$314,900	$156,300
Median rent	$604	$820
Median household income	$112,138	$69,254
Home value ÷ income	2.8×	2.2×
Homeownership	91.1%	77.1%
Median year built	2002	1962
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Atkins

People	Atkins	Typical Iowa town
Median age	37.8	40.2
Age 65 and over	11.6%	20.0%
Under 18	26.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	36.1%	21.8%
Below the poverty line	5.3%	9.3%
Veterans	8.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.5%	—
Work from home	13.6%	7.1%
Average commute	20.6 min	21.6 min
Homes with broadband	93.3%	88.5%

Weather in Atkins

July highs average 82.8°F and January lows 11.3°F. About 35.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 30.1 inches of snow (typical Iowa town: 32.5 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 144 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Cedar Rapids Muni Ap station (10.6 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

27 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Atkins since 1950, compared with 24 for the typical Iowa town. 9 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on April 30, 1954 about 9.2 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 31, 2026.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 112 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on July 11, 2020.

Severe weather in Benton County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Benton County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 2 deaths recorded.

Benton County has been included in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, biological.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
August 17, 2020	Severe Storm	DR-4557: Severe Storms
March 23, 2020	Biological	DR-4483: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3480: Covid-19
October 31, 2016	Flood	DR-4289: Severe Storms And Flooding
July 31, 2013	Severe Storm	DR-4135: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Benton County

Benton County had 6,069 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $54,216 a year. Unemployment was 3.3% in 2023; in Atkins itself the ACS puts it at 2.5%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Atkins

1 public school with 398 students, about 16.6 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Atkins Elementary School	PK-3	398	16.6

Towns near Atkins

Newhall, IA
5.6 mi · 876 people · home $186,300
Palo, IA
5.7 mi · 1,407 people · home $282,400
Fairfax, IA
6.3 mi · 2,828 people · home $274,500
Shellsburg, IA
6.8 mi · 961 people · home $175,800
Walford, IA
8.0 mi · 1,366 people · home $303,000
Cedar Rapids, IA
9.4 mi · 137,710 people · home $187,100
Hiawatha, IA
9.7 mi · 7,183 people · home $216,900
Robins, IA
11.1 mi · 3,353 people · home $413,400

Atkins questions

Is Atkins, Iowa a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Atkins scores better for retirees than 17% of Iowa towns and quieter than 50%. 11.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 37.8).

How much does a house cost in Atkins?

The median owner-occupied home in Atkins is valued at $314,900 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $112,138, so homes cost about 2.8 times income. Median rent is $604 a month.

What is the weather like in Atkins?

July highs average 82.8°F and January lows 11.3°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 35.9 inches of precipitation a year and 30.1 inches of snow.

Does Atkins get tornadoes?

27 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Atkins since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on April 30, 1954. The typical Iowa town has had 24.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Atkins's Census boundary (GEOID 1903475). Comparisons use the median of Iowa towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.