Gilbertville, Iowa

City in Black Hawk County · population 794 (2020 Census)

Median home: $197,400
Household income: $79,583
Jan low / Jul high: 11° / 85°
Snow a year: 37 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 22
Median age: 40.6

Gilbertville is a city of 794 people in Black Hawk County, Iowa. The median home is worth $197,400, above the typical Iowa town ($156,300). It ranks quieter than 85% of Iowa towns.

How Gilbertville 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 Gilbertville is worth $197,400, above the typical Iowa town ($156,300). Homes cost about 2.5 times the median household income of $79,583, which is more affordable than 35% of Iowa towns. Median rent is $643 a month. 86.4% of households own their home.

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

Housing	Gilbertville	Typical Iowa town
Median home value	$197,400	$156,300
Median rent	$643	$820
Median household income	$79,583	$69,254
Home value ÷ income	2.5×	2.2×
Homeownership	86.4%	77.1%
Median year built	1976	1962
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.8%	—

Who lives in Gilbertville

People	Gilbertville	Typical Iowa town
Median age	40.6	40.2
Age 65 and over	21.4%	20.0%
Under 18	21.3%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.9%	21.8%
Below the poverty line	3.2%	9.3%
Veterans	6.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.7%	—
Work from home	12.1%	7.1%
Average commute	19.9 min	21.6 min
Homes with broadband	94.5%	88.5%

Weather in Gilbertville

July highs average 85.0°F and January lows 10.7°F. About 36.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 36.5 inches of snow (typical Iowa town: 32.5 in). Expect about 15 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 150 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 Waterloo Muni Ap station (13.4 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

22 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Gilbertville since 1950, compared with 24 for the typical Iowa town. 12 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F4, struck on August 26, 1965 about 8.2 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 2 deaths and 51 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on March 28, 2020.

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 89 times; the largest was 4.75 inches on May 8, 2003.

Severe weather in Black Hawk County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Black Hawk County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 1 deaths recorded.

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

Declared	Incident	Declaration
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
August 5, 2014	Severe Storm	DR-4187: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
July 29, 2010	Severe Storm	DR-1930: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes

Jobs and pay in Black Hawk County

Black Hawk County had 70,886 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $59,631 a year. Unemployment was 3.2% in 2023; in Gilbertville 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).

Towns near Gilbertville

Washburn, IA
2.7 mi · 870 people · home $142,300
Raymond, IA
3.6 mi · 759 people · home $222,600
Elk Run Heights, IA
4.1 mi · 1,069 people · home $171,200
Evansdale, IA
4.3 mi · 4,561 people · home $150,300
La Porte City, IA
7.3 mi · 2,284 people · home $163,200
Jesup, IA
8.5 mi · 2,508 people · home $190,200
Waterloo, IA
8.7 mi · 67,314 people · home $152,600
Dunkerton, IA
10.7 mi · 842 people · home $189,700

Gilbertville questions

Is Gilbertville, Iowa a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Gilbertville scores better for retirees than 36% of Iowa towns and quieter than 85%. 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 40.6).

How much does a house cost in Gilbertville?

The median owner-occupied home in Gilbertville is valued at $197,400 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $79,583, so homes cost about 2.5 times income. Median rent is $643 a month.

What is the weather like in Gilbertville?

July highs average 85.0°F and January lows 10.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 36.3 inches of precipitation a year and 36.5 inches of snow.

Does Gilbertville get tornadoes?

22 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Gilbertville since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F4 on August 26, 1965. The typical Iowa town has had 24.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Gilbertville's Census boundary (GEOID 1930675). 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.