Iola is a somewhat small city located in the state of Kansas. With a population of 5,401 people and two associated neighborhoods, Iola is the 65th largest community in Kansas. Much of the housing stock in Iola was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

In terms of college education, Iola is nearly on par with the US average for all cities of 21.84%: 20.75% of adults 25 and older in Iola have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree.

The per capita income in Iola in 2022 was $23,718, which is low income relative to Kansas and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $94,872 for a family of four. However, Iola contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Iola is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Iola home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Iola residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Iola include German, Irish, English, Scottish, and European.

The most common language spoken in Iola is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.