Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Ackley’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a C− for schools. On cost of living, just 21 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Ackley is more walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 138 Iowa towns we compare have a lower median rent than Ackley. Illinois Central Combination Depot-Ackley is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ackley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ackley beats most towns.
Illinois Central Combination Depot-AckleyWhere Ackley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Ackley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1913.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ackley, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Ackley.
Its public schools are run by the AGWSR Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGWSR Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 227 | C |
| AGWSR High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 190 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
The typical Ackley home is worth about $143,000, up 5.5% in a year, 39% below the Iowa typical home. 81% of Ackley households own their home, where Iowa’s towns sit at 70% and U.S. towns at 73%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Ackley for work: only 16% work in town. Since 2013, Ackley has lost 78 jobs, to 455 in 2023. Ackley’s average trip to work is 24 minutes, above the Iowa town median (19 minutes) and near the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes).
| Ackley | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ackley has cold winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Ackley is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
41% of adults have high blood pressure in Ackley. Ackley beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 14% of adults have diabetes in Ackley.
| Ackley | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Ackley | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.9% | 77.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.2% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 2013, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ackley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Prairie Bridges Park, at 81 acres. Ackley’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prairie Bridges Park | — | 81 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ackley
About 3 of every 100 Ackley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Franklin and Hardin Counties, Iowa
Ackley is a city in the Franklin and Hardin counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,599 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
2 notable people were born here, including Art Reinhart and D. R. Brown.