Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A typical home costs 2 years of the Cedar Rapids metro’s $78K median household income.
The best of Belle Plaine’s subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A for history; the weakest is a C− for safety. Belle Plaine has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Chambers Ford Bridge and Sankot Motor Company. Belle Plaine has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Belle Plaine beats most towns.
Sankot Motor CompanyEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Belle Plaine is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1903.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belle Plaine, 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 Belle Plaine.
The property offense rate for Belle Plaine comes to 11.6 per 1,000 residents, above both the Iowa town median (7.3) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9). The rate of reported violence in the town is 3.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Belle Plaine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 11.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Belle Plaine Community School District. Public school enrollment in the town: 472 students across 2 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longfellow Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 267 | B |
| Belle Plaine Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 205 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
The average trip to work for Belle Plaine comes to 24 minutes, where Iowa’s towns sit at 19 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. About one worker in five stays in Belle Plaine for work. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 3.5%. Also worth knowing: since 2013, Belle Plaine has lost 60 jobs, to 630 in 2023.
| Belle Plaine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
In Belle Plaine, the midpoint rent is $890 a month. The share of households in Belle Plaine who own their home: 80%.
| Belle Plaine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $890 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
One claim on flood insurance has been paid out in Belle Plaine since 2024. Compared with 78% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. 45% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 17%. Federal aid has come to Belle Plaine households in 4 declared disasters; the latest was in 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The town’s July high comes in at 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Belle Plaine, 20% binge drink and 17% smoke cigarettes. Just over two in five adults have obesity in the town.
| Belle Plaine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Belle Plaine | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Walkers can cover 0.5 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Iowa River Corridor Wildlife Management Area, at 69 acres. Belle Plaine’s density of trails stands at 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Belle Plaine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.7% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Belle Plaine Box Park | 0.5 mi | 6 |
| 2. Iowa River Corridor Wildlife Management Area | — | 69 |
| 3. Franklin Park | — | 29 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Belle Plaine; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Belle Plaine residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
5 places in Belle Plaine on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Belle Plaine.
City in Iowa, United States
Belle Plaine is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,330 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area.
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+.
7 notable people were born here, including Marjorie Cameron and Franklin P. Mall.
