Dexter, Iowa

City in Dallas County · population 640 (2020 Census)

Median home: $163,500
Household income: $87,250
Jan low / Jul high: 10° / 85°
Snow a year: 30 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 26
Median age: 38.7

Dexter is a city of 640 people in Dallas County, Iowa. The median home is worth $163,500, close to the typical Iowa town ($156,300). It ranks more upscale than 89% of Iowa towns, better for families than 86% of Iowa towns, easier by car than 77% of Iowa towns.

How Dexter 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 Dexter is worth $163,500, close to the typical Iowa town ($156,300). Homes cost about 1.9 times the median household income of $87,250, which is more affordable than 76% of Iowa towns. Median rent is $845 a month. 82.4% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Dexter	Typical Iowa town
Median home value	$163,500	$156,300
Median rent	$845	$820
Median household income	$87,250	$69,254
Home value ÷ income	1.9×	2.2×
Homeownership	82.4%	77.1%
Median year built	1942	1962
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.0%	—

Who lives in Dexter

People	Dexter	Typical Iowa town
Median age	38.7	40.2
Age 65 and over	16.5%	20.0%
Under 18	26.8%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.4%	21.8%
Below the poverty line	5.8%	9.3%
Veterans	10.1%	—
Born outside the U.S.	0.0%	—
Work from home	12.2%	7.1%
Average commute	31.3 min	21.6 min
Homes with broadband	87.6%	88.5%

Weather in Dexter

July highs average 85.1°F and January lows 9.6°F. About 37.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 29.6 inches of snow (typical Iowa town: 32.5 in). Expect about 21 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 156 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 Guthrie Ctr station (17.5 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

26 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Dexter since 1950, compared with 24 for the typical Iowa town. 3 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on May 27, 1995 about 1.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 21, 2024.

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 85 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on June 27, 2008.

Severe weather in Dallas County since 1996

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

Dallas County has been included in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 24, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4784: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
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
March 23, 2019	Flood	DR-4421: Severe Storms And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Dallas County

Dallas County had 55,258 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $76,316 a year. Unemployment was 2.2% in 2023; in Dexter itself the ACS puts it at 3.7%.

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 Dexter

1 public school with 181 students, about 13.9 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Dexter Elementary School	3-5	181	13.9

Towns near Dexter

Stuart, IA
4.8 mi · 1,782 people · home $159,500
Redfield, IA
5.4 mi · 731 people · home $142,800
Earlham, IA
5.6 mi · 1,410 people · home $267,600
De Soto, IA
11.4 mi · 915 people · home $227,700
Adel, IA
12.9 mi · 6,153 people · home $327,900
Panora, IA
14.0 mi · 1,091 people · home $182,000
Van Meter, IA
14.7 mi · 1,484 people · home $264,000
Winterset, IA
16.2 mi · 5,353 people · home $192,500

Dexter questions

Is Dexter, Iowa a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Dexter scores better for retirees than 74% of Iowa towns and quieter than 64%. 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (median age 38.7).

How much does a house cost in Dexter?

The median owner-occupied home in Dexter is valued at $163,500 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $87,250, so homes cost about 1.9 times income. Median rent is $845 a month.

What is the weather like in Dexter?

July highs average 85.1°F and January lows 9.6°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 37.1 inches of precipitation a year and 29.6 inches of snow.

Does Dexter get tornadoes?

26 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Dexter since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on May 27, 1995. The typical Iowa town has had 24.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Dexter's Census boundary (GEOID 1921225). 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.