Population
196 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Iowa
City profile · Iowa · Census ACS 2023
Bradford, IA
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Bradford - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 196
- Residents
- $63,182
- Median income
- $919
- Median rent (state)
Bradford - the verdict
Nationally, Bradford sits in the 40th percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.
- 40th
- percentile, household income
- 6th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bradford, IA
196 people live in Bradford, Iowa - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Bradford households earn a median of $63,182 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. The median resident age is 33.3 years. Educational attainment runs 0.0% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 62.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in Iowa run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Iowa at 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $919 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $212 across Iowa, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. The average commute for Bradford workers runs 31.5 minutes, with 100.0% driving alone and 0.0% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 21.9 out of 100 (Very Low).
Median Household Income
$63,182 /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
87.8 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Iowa average
How does Bradford compare to other US cities?
Here's how Bradford stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 40% higher than other cities
Median rent 6% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bradford against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Iowa only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Iowa-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Bradford near the bottom of Iowa's cities
Among the 858 Iowa cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bradford ranks #450 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bradford only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#470 of 845
44th percentile in Iowa
Median Gross Rent
#450 of 858
0th percentile in Iowa
Poverty Rate
#764 of 858
0th percentile in Iowa
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#855 of 858
0th percentile in Iowa
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Iowa only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
40th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 0.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 62.2%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
196
Median Income
$63,182
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
33.3
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
62.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
0.0%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
31.5 minutes
Drive Alone
100.0%
Carpool
0.0%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 89 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Iowa - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$95
avg/month
Natural Gas
$75
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$42
avg/month
Total Utilities
$212
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Iowa state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Iowa state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Bradford sits in
Cost of Living Index
87.8
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$919/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
21.9 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Iowa
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Bradford's 196 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Bradford's $63,182 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Bradford compares to nearby Iowa cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Bradford (this city) | 196 | $63,182 |
| New Providence | 196 | $83,250 |
| Thurman | 197 | $88,500 |
| Marathon | 199 | $40,417 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS IA OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Bradford, IA?
What is the population of Bradford, IA? +
Bradford, IA counts 196 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Bradford, IA? +
Median annual household income in Bradford runs $63,182, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Bradford? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Bradford; the closest available measure is the Iowa state average, a cost of living index of 87.8 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Iowa vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.