The oldest town in Audubon County, Exira was founded in 1857. The town was named for Exira Eckman, daughter of Judge John Eckman from Ohio, who agreed to purchase a lot of property in the town if the town was named for his daughter. The main industries in and around Exira are agriculture and agribusiness. Exira has a school, completed in 1959. There are four churches in the town. On July 2, 1958, Exira was ravaged by the flooding of the East Nishnabotna River. Nineteen persons in the area lost their lives, 75 homes were destroyed and almost 20 businesses in the western part of Exira were damaged. Exira is well known for its Fourth of July celebrations, which have been celebrated since 1861. The morning parade and the evening fireworks draw thousands of visitors to the town. Other attractions in the area include the Plow in the Oak Park, south of Exira on Highway 71, and Littlefield Recreation Area, southeast of Exira, which features a lake, prairie restoration area and a live bison pair.
As of the census of 2010, there were 840 people, 381 households, and 217 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 422 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.6% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 381 households, of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couplesliving together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the city was 49.7 years. 16.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 29.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 43.1% male and 56.9% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 810 people, 362 households, and 211 families living in the city. The population density was 791.0 people per square mile. There were 394 housing units at an average density of 384.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 98.64% White, 0.25% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.49% Asian, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.86% of the population. There were 362 households, out of which 24.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.74. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 33.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 73.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,319, and the median income for a family was $32,222. Males had a median income of $25,917 versus $17,656 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,124. About 9.9% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.0% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
The Thomas B. Thielen Student Health Center at Iowa State University is named after former Exira resident, Thomas B. Thielen. Thielen served as vice president for student affairs at Iowa State University from 1977 to 1997.
