Kirkman is a city in Shelby County, Iowa, United States, along the West Nishnabotna River.

[3] Kirkman had its start by the building of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad through that territory.

[4] Kirkman was established by the Western Town Lot Company in 1880, and incorporated in 1892.

[5][6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.28 square miles (0.73 km2), all of it land.

The racial makeup of the city was 96.9% White, 1.6% Pacific Islander, and 1.6% from other races.

30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 15.0% of families and 11.8% of the population living below the poverty line, including 10.5% of under eighteens and 46.2% of those over 64.

[12] It was previously in the IKM Community School District,[13] which formed on July 1, 1992.

[14] Kirkman was the birthplace of Lew Anderson, who played Clarabell the Clown on Howdy Doody.