Plainfield, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Polk Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50666. The Survey maps it on the Plainfield quadrangle. 393 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 942 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresPlainfield fell from 436 to 393 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 436 | |
| 2020 | 393 | -43 (-10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1954 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1971 USGS Plainfield quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Waverly quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
3 since 2010Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Plainfield between 2010 and 2015, burning about 515 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 500 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 April 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 53265 140TH ST., IOWA |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Plainfield: 5 past producers, 5 unknowns, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rattlesnake Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Boveig Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Nashua Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
50 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Plainfield in 50 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 28 thunderstorm wind, 12 hail, 7 flood, 3 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Flood | Plainfield | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 2008 | Flood | Plainfield | $200,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $150,000 | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Flood | Plainfield | $100,000 | Water was reported over many roads in the county. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $75,000 | High winds blew the roof off of a convenience store. The roof flew one block, shearing off power poles and knocking out power to entire town. Trees were blown down on houses in Plainfield. Trees and power poles were down just west of Plainfield. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $75,000 | Numerous trees were blown down along highway 218 from the Chickasaw/Bremer County line, south through at least Plainfield. Trees were blown down on roads and some homes. Power poles were also blown down on roads. Large areas were without electricity. a few barns were also blown down. |
| July 1995 | Hail | Plainfield | $60,000 | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $50,000 | Trained spotter reported numerous trees down and uprooted. A large grain bin was pushed several feet onto the railroad tracks. Large trash dumpsters were also tipped over. |
| September 2016 | Flood | Plainfield | $50,000 | Law enforcement reported street flooding along 130th in Plainfield, along with several other roads in the Plainfield area. |
| March 2010 | Flood | Plainfield | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $35,000 | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $25,000 | Numerous large trees down in town. One large tree leaning on a house. |
| May 1999 | Hail | Plainfield | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $10,000 | Public reported trees and power lines damaged in town. Reported by NWS employee. Time estimated by radar. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $10,000 | Public reported trees down along with small hail covering the ground. Wind gusts of 65 MPH were recorded at an RWIS site. |
| April 2008 | Flood | Plainfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Plainfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Plainfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Plainfield | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Plainfield | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $3,000 | Numerous tree branches down with 0.92 inches of rain in the past 10 minutes. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Plainfield | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $2,000 | Public estimate of 60 MPH winds. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Plainfield | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Plainfield | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Hail | Plainfield | - | Ground covered in hail with largest up to 1.5 inches in diameter. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | Public report via mping of broken tree limbs. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | Public report via mping of broken tree limbs. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | Public report of 60 mph wind gust. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Plainfield | - | Public reported storm total heavy rainfall of 3.30 inches. Due to database entry limitation, beginning time coded as midnight CST. Actual estimated start time of 4pm CDT on June 30th. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Plainfield | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 3.30 inches. Due to database entry limitation, beginning time coded as midnight CST. Actual estimated start time of 4pm CDT on June 30th. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | RWIS near Plainfield recorded a 65 mph wind gust. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | The Plainfield IDOT RWIS along Highway 218 recorded a 59 mph wind gust. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | Trained spotter estimated 60-70 mph wind gusts, along with 4-6 inch diameter tree branches broken off. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | The Plainfield IDOT RWIS along Highway 218 recorded a 68 mph wind gust. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Plainfield | - | Trained spotter reported golf ball sized hail. |
| June 2008 | Heavy Rain | Plainfield | - | Rainfall in past 25 minutes. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Plainfield | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Flood | Plainfield | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Plainfield | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Plainfield | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1926322 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 460200. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



