Iowa’s Smallest Town Is Home To Under 10 People

You think you're tired of seeing the same folks every day? One Iowa town has that market cornered.

Not every town in every state (especially the Midwest) is going to be anything close to a bustling metropolis. There isn't all that much to do in several of these towns except farm and hang out at the local watering hole chattering about life, love, and the pursuit of the perfect harvest.

You can complain all you want about not having stuff to do in the QCA and just seeing the same people all of the time. But there are 5 towns in Iowa that have a population of under 10 people. They really do get to talk about that. Here are the top 2 smallest, according to the United States' Census 2022 Population Estimates Program from Iowa Demographics.

Corley, Iowa- Population: 6

Corley is a "census-designated place" in Shelby County. It's very close to the West Nishnabotna River. Corley's total area is 0.06 sq miles. It's close enough to Harlan, Iowa for their public schools to be operated by Harlan Community School District.

Athelstan, Iowa- Population: 5

Athelstan is considered a "hamlet" and, out of 1,023 towns and communities in Iowa, was found to be the smallest with a 2022 population of just 5. It's along the Platte River, near the Missouri border, and is majority-owned by a family.

It, like many Iowa towns, was born as construction of the Chicago Great Western Railroad was underway. Athelstan is 0.13 sq miles.

Honorable Mentions

The next 3 smallest towns in Iowa as of 2022 are:

• Jacksonville (Shelby County, Population: 7)
• Bolan (Worth County, Population: 8)
• Le Roy (Decatur County, Population: 9)

Bet you can't even try to keep a secret in any of these towns.