Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Albia gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $176K, 2.5 years of the county’s $71K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 69th of 140 in Iowa. On the plus side, its schools outperform 75% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Only 8 of Iowa’s 276 towns score higher on history. Albia is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 3 have a higher share of renters spending 30% or more of income on rent than Albia.
Where Albia beats most towns.
Monroe County Courthouse| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Center | 3–6 | 320 |
| Grant Center | K–2 | 239 |
| Albia Middle School | 7–8 | 153 |
Census counts: 620 in 1860, a peak of 5,157 in 1940, 3,721 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 2 maps from 1929 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Albia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Albia, 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 Albia.
Albia pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $176K.
Its public schools are run by the Albia Community School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Albia High School, with 348 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 320 | B− |
| Albia High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 348 | A− |
| Albia Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 153 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $176K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. 66.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 43.9% across Iowa.
The typical Albia home is worth about $176,000, up 4% in a year, 26% below the Iowa typical home.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $915 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 14.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 91% of Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 85°.
Albia has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Albia’s January low is 14°F, against 12°F in Iowa’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. About 30 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Albia has about as many jobs (1,751) as working residents, but only 463 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Albia’s working residents works in town. Albia’s average trip to work is 26 minutes, where Iowa’s towns sit at 19 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 15% of Albia residents live below the poverty line.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 50 to 19 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Albia is 3.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 10,546 U.S. towns with household incomes like Albia’s, it is healthier than 76%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Albia tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. 20% of adults binge drink in Albia.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 32% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 12% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Albia has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 3,599 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 38.1 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 25% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.6 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Albia | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.9% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.2% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 16.6% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.8% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
0.4 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Albia City Park, at 20 acres. Albia’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Albia | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Albia City Park | — | 20 |
| 2. Benton Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Albia Square | 0.2 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Albia; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Albia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
8 places in Albia on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Albia.
City in Iowa, United States
Albia is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, in southern Iowa, United States. The population was 3,721 at the 2020 census. Albia is located at the junction of U.S. Route 34 and Iowa Highways 137 and 5. The city of Albia and the surrounding area was a past center for coal mining in Iowa, and is now known for its historic square, and collection of Victorian, Tudor, Gothic, and Italianate homes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Albia grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #69 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools.
9 notable people were born here, including Charles Badger Clark and James Stevens.
