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Iowa · 140 graded towns

Towns and cities in Iowa

56 of Iowa’s 140 graded towns and cities (40%) grade A− or better nationally, against 25% of U.S. towns. Orange City ranks first in the state with an A+; walkability (A) and schools (A) are its strongest grades; jobs & income (B) is its lowest.

Letters are national: the overall grade blends cost of living, safety, schools, health, jobs & income, walkability and hazard risk. How grades work

How Iowa compares: report cardBest places to liveBest small townsMost affordable townsSafest townsTowns with the best schoolsHealthiest towns
140
towns of 2,500+ with an overall grade
56
grade A− or better nationally
0
of 2,500+ without enough data for a grade
136
smaller places (1,000–2,499) with subject grades
Towns by letter
A+18A15A−23B+13B10B−12C+8C10C−15D16D−0

All 140 graded towns

Every town of 2,500+ residents with an overall grade, A to Z. The rank is among 140 Iowa towns on the best places to live list.

140 graded towns, A to Z.

Sort:
  1. AAdelDallas County#19 of 1407,098
  2. B+AlbiaMonroe County#69 of 1403,599
  3. A−AlgonaKossuth County#51 of 1405,309
  4. B−AltoonaPolk County#85 of 14022,796
  5. BAmesStory County#72 of 14068,220
  6. C+AnamosaJones County#97 of 1405,901
  7. AAnkenyPolk County#30 of 14077,833
  8. B+AsburyDubuque County#61 of 1406,035
  9. C−AtlanticCass County#115 of 1406,676
  10. A−BettendorfScott County#44 of 14040,710
  11. BBloomfieldDavis County#79 of 1402,785
  12. A−BondurantPolk County#45 of 1409,647
  13. B+BooneBoone County#65 of 14012,471
  14. C−BurlingtonDes Moines County#118 of 14023,336
  15. BCamancheClinton County#75 of 1404,557
  16. ACarlisleWarren County#24 of 1404,532
  17. A−CarrollCarroll County#40 of 14010,085
  18. DCarter LakePottawattamie County#126 of 1403,670
  19. A−Cedar FallsBlack Hawk County#46 of 14041,240
  20. CCedar RapidsLinn County#104 of 140137,935
  21. A+Center PointLinn County#5 of 1402,572
  22. C−CentervilleAppanoose County#123 of 1405,327
  23. CCharitonLucas County#101 of 1404,347
  24. C−Charles CityFloyd County#111 of 1407,013
  25. BCherokeeCherokee County#70 of 1405,122
  26. CClarindaPage County#109 of 1405,273
  27. B+ClarionWright County#67 of 1402,758
  28. B+Clear LakeCerro Gordo County#66 of 1407,601
  29. C−ClintonClinton County#121 of 14024,049
  30. A−ClivePolk County#49 of 14019,861
  31. B−CoralvilleJohnson County#88 of 14023,960
  32. DCouncil BluffsPottawattamie County#127 of 14062,680
  33. ACrescoHoward County#22 of 1403,925
  34. B−CrestonUnion County#84 of 1407,335
  35. DDavenportScott County#135 of 140100,358
  36. B+DeWittClinton County#64 of 1405,704
  37. A+DecorahWinneshiek County#9 of 1407,417
  38. B−DenisonCrawford County#90 of 1408,214
  39. DDes MoinesPolk County#134 of 140212,086
  40. C+DubuqueDubuque County#96 of 14059,148
  41. ADyersvilleDubuque County#21 of 1404,574
  42. C−Eagle GroveWright County#122 of 1403,653
  43. C−EldoraHardin County#112 of 1402,593
  44. A+EldridgeScott County#10 of 1406,954
  45. AEmmetsburgPalo Alto County#32 of 1403,684
  46. BEsthervilleEmmet County#78 of 1405,807
  47. DEvansdaleBlack Hawk County#140 of 1404,463
  48. B−FairfaxLinn County#82 of 1402,925
  49. C+FairfieldJefferson County#99 of 1409,220
  50. A+Forest CityWinnebago County#14 of 1404,143
  51. DFort DodgeWebster County#132 of 14024,837
  52. DFort MadisonLee County#125 of 1409,935
  53. A−GarnerHancock County#34 of 1403,029
  54. A−GlenwoodMills County#42 of 1405,287
  55. A+GrimesPolk County#15 of 14017,405
  56. B−GrinnellPoweshiek County#81 of 1409,430
  57. A+Grundy CenterGrundy County#4 of 1402,814
  58. B−HamptonFranklin County#87 of 1404,264
  59. B+HarlanShelby County#60 of 1404,859
  60. BHawardenSioux County#71 of 1402,665
  61. CHiawathaLinn County#107 of 1407,432
  62. A+HudsonBlack Hawk County#12 of 1403,028
  63. B−HumboldtHumboldt County#86 of 1404,675
  64. AHuxleyStory County#26 of 1404,715
  65. A−IndependenceBuchanan County#52 of 1406,312
  66. B+IndianolaWarren County#62 of 14016,829
  67. C+Iowa CityJohnson County#92 of 14076,229
  68. CIowa FallsHardin County#100 of 1405,013
  69. C+JeffersonGreene County#94 of 1404,150
  70. A−JesupBuchanan County#54 of 1402,557
  71. AJohnstonPolk County#25 of 14025,065
  72. A−KalonaWashington County#53 of 1402,811
  73. DKeokukLee County#138 of 1409,510
  74. C+KnoxvilleMarion County#95 of 1407,469
  75. B+Le ClaireScott County#57 of 1404,741
  76. A−Le MarsPlymouth County#41 of 14010,760
  77. A−MadridBoone County#56 of 1402,820
  78. C+ManchesterDelaware County#98 of 1405,357
  79. C−MaquoketaJackson County#124 of 1406,027
  80. AMarionLinn County#31 of 14042,732
  81. C−MarshalltownMarshall County#113 of 14027,536
  82. C−Mason CityCerro Gordo County#110 of 14026,853
  83. A−MilfordDickinson County#50 of 1403,209
  84. BMissouri ValleyHarrison County#73 of 1402,616
  85. A+MitchellvillePolk County#3 of 1402,671
  86. AMonticelloJones County#27 of 1404,104
  87. B−Mount PleasantHenry County#83 of 1408,500
  88. A+Mount VernonLinn County#6 of 1404,514
  89. C−MuscatineMuscatine County#117 of 14023,164
  90. A−NevadaStory County#43 of 1406,974
  91. A−New HamptonChickasaw County#55 of 1403,420
  92. CNewtonJasper County#105 of 14015,741
  93. A−North LibertyJohnson County#47 of 14021,976
  94. A+NorwalkWarren County#2 of 14015,004
  95. DOelweinFayette County#128 of 1405,757
  96. C−OnawaMonona County#114 of 1402,821
  97. A+Orange CitySioux County#1 of 1406,468
  98. A+OsageMitchell County#16 of 1403,552
  99. DOsceolaClarke County#136 of 1405,679
  100. B−OskaloosaMahaska County#80 of 14011,493
  101. DOttumwaWapello County#139 of 14025,319
  102. A+PellaMarion County#7 of 14010,992
  103. C+PerryDallas County#93 of 1408,208
  104. C−Pleasant HillPolk County#116 of 14011,239
  105. A+Polk CityPolk County#8 of 1406,630
  106. DRed OakMontgomery County#133 of 1405,388
  107. B−RobinsLinn County#89 of 1403,366
  108. ARock RapidsLyon County#20 of 1402,733
  109. A+Rock ValleySioux County#17 of 1404,188
  110. A−Saylorvilleunincorporated, Polk County#39 of 1403,366
  111. A+Sergeant BluffWoodbury County#18 of 1405,324
  112. BSheldonO'Brien County#77 of 1405,575
  113. CShenandoahPage County#102 of 1404,808
  114. CSibleyOsceola County#106 of 1402,762
  115. ASioux CenterSioux County#29 of 1408,864
  116. DSioux CityWoodbury County#129 of 14086,356
  117. A+SolonJohnson County#11 of 1403,345
  118. BSpencerClay County#76 of 14011,218
  119. B+Spirit LakeDickinson County#68 of 1405,525
  120. CStorm LakeBuena Vista County#108 of 14011,590
  121. AStory CityStory County#28 of 1403,382
  122. DTamaTama County#131 of 1403,011
  123. BTiffinJohnson County#74 of 1407,156
  124. A−TiptonCedar County#38 of 1403,060
  125. AUrbandalePolk County#23 of 14048,570
  126. A−VintonBenton County#48 of 1405,004
  127. C−WashingtonWashington County#120 of 1407,261
  128. DWaterlooBlack Hawk County#137 of 14066,919
  129. A−WaukeeDallas County#36 of 14034,890
  130. A+WaukonAllamakee County#13 of 1403,849
  131. B+WaverlyBremer County#59 of 14010,561
  132. B−Webster CityHamilton County#91 of 1407,815
  133. A−West BranchCedar County#35 of 1402,956
  134. DWest BurlingtonDes Moines County#130 of 1403,358
  135. B+West Des MoinesPolk County#58 of 14074,224
  136. CWest LibertyMuscatine County#103 of 1403,717
  137. A−WilliamsburgIowa County#37 of 1403,408
  138. B+WiltonMuscatine County#63 of 1402,892
  139. C−Windsor HeightsPolk County#119 of 1405,059
  140. AWintersetMadison County#33 of 1405,520
Also in Iowa

Not on the ranked list

Not graded

Every Iowa town of 2,500+ residents has an overall grade.

Smaller places 136 with 1,000–2,499 residents

These have subject grades (safety, schools, health and the rest) but no overall grade or rank: the overall starts at 2,500 residents.

Go deeper

Lists in Iowa

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Iowa rankings →
Best places to live140 towns · #1 Orange CityBest small towns99 towns · #1 Orange CityMost affordable towns140 towns · #1 EmmetsburgSafest towns105 towns · #1 Rock ValleyTowns with the best schools140 towns · #1 Grundy Center and Polk CityHealthiest towns140 towns · #1 SolonBest towns for jobs & income140 towns · #1 EldridgeMost walkable towns140 towns · #1 Iowa CityTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk140 towns · #1 SaylorvilleBest towns for the outdoors140 towns · #1 Polk CityMost historic towns140 towns · #1 VintonTowns with the most civic life138 towns · #1 AtlanticTowns with the least snow140 towns · #1 Fort MadisonDescribed, no lettersSnowiest towns140 towns · #1 Clear LakeDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters142 towns · #1 KeokukDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers142 towns · #1 Council BluffsDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers142 towns · #1 Postville and WaukonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes140 towns · #1 Polk CityDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes140 towns · #1 Fort MadisonDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns139 towns · #1 TiffinDescribed, no lettersTowns with the most-used libraries51 towns · #1 CoralvilleDescribed, no letters