Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Boone gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $212K for a typical one, or 2.9 years of the Ames metro’s $73K median household income. It grades B+ overall, ranked 65th of 140 in Iowa. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. Boone has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ericson Public Library and First National Bank. Boone's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns. 25% of working residents work locally in Boone, below the Iowa town median (31%) but above the median of U.S. towns (8%).
Where Boone beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,330 in 1880, 12,460 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 3 maps from 1916 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Boone is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Boone, 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 Boone.
4.5 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is McHose Park, at 220 acres.
| Boone | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. McHose Park | 0.3 mi | 220 |
| 2. Herman Park | — | 26 |
| 3. Memorial Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Boone Community School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Boone High School, with 704 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 586 | C− |
| Boone High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 704 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Boone has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 144 to 96 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 11 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
About one in 4 of Boone’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Boone has lost 624 jobs, to 4,239 in 2023. Boone’s average trip to work is 19 minutes.
| Boone | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Boone home is worth about $212,000, up 1.5% in a year, 10% below the Iowa typical home. The median rent in Boone is $831 a month.
| Boone | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $831 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
20% of Boone residents are under 18. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Boone | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.3 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.3, men 38.9.
| Boone | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.3% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.9% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.2% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.6% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.3% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Boone tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. 43% of adults have obesity in Boone.
| Boone | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 2015, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Boone.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Boone. Close and well known come first.
34 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
35 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol33 mi Theme parkAdventureland
12 mi Stadium & arenaHilton Coliseum
34 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
33 mi Stadium & arenaDrake StadiumCasey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Hilton Coliseum: Johannes Cater--Jaretac (talk) 15:14, 17 June 2009 (UTC), Public domain · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Boone
About 5 of every 100 Boone residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
10 places in Boone on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 notable people were born in Boone.
Place in Iowa, United States
Boone ( BOON) is a city in Des Moines Township and the county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Boone County. This micropolitan statistical area, along with the Ames, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area comprise the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area. The population of the city was reported as 12,460 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.
By most measures, yes. Boone grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #65 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and C+ for schools.
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 B+.
19 notable people were born here, including Mamie Eisenhower and Ray Lyman Wilbur.
