Brandon’s mean commuting time is 24 minutes, above Iowa’s towns (19 minutes) but below U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Independence (16%), Cedar Rapids (13%) and Waterloo (9%). Its income of the median household is $61,000.

1%work in town

	Brandon	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Working residents who work in town	0.6%	31%	8%
Average trip to work	24 minutes	19 minutes	25 minutes
Below the poverty line	13%	11%	9.6%
Median household income	$61,000	$69,000	$80,000

Where working residents work

In Brandon1%

Independence16%

Cedar Rapids13%

Waterloo9%

Cedar Falls5%

25 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in Brandon

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageBrandon’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here30 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work1% work in Brandon Commute times24 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 25 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

Brandon has four seasons and pleasant summers

In July, afternoons reach 83°; in January, nights fall to 10°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.

34″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter13–30°

Spring37–59°

Summer60–81°

Fall39–61°

Oct 3

typical first frost

May 3

typical last frost

+0.7°

vs. the 20th-century average

Full pageBrandon’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 83°, January lows 10°Rain & snow34″ of snow a winter · 37 inches of rain and snow a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and now+0.7° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazards

Top of a high hazard risk in Brandon: inland flooding

Brandon’s risk rating from FEMA is 64 of 100, against 40 of 100 in Iowa’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. Households here have drawn federal disaster aid in 3 declared disasters, most recently in 2008. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 47% come from inland flooding and 21% from drought.

64risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingDroughtHail

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageBrandon’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesHigh risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters3 federal disasters · Paid out in Brandon Get ready2.1 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Health

How healthy Brandon is

Brandon tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. The share of adults in Brandon who binge drink: 22%. A fifth of adults in the town have been diagnosed with depression; 31% feel lonely.

	Brandon	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Binge drink (CDC PLACES)	22%	20%	16%
Depression (CDC PLACES)	20%	21%	23%
Feel lonely (CDC PLACES)	31%	32%	33%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	12%	13%	14%

32 measures vs. Iowa

0 better32 too close to call0 worse

Virginia Gay Hospital

9.8 mi away · emergency room

2 of 3

care shortages: primary care, mental health

Full pageBrandon’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsMore adults sleeping under 7 hours Hospitals & doctors nearby9.8 miles to an ER · Virginia Gay Hospital How adults are doingFewer adults in fair or poor health Every CDC estimateBetter than IA on 0 of 32

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Housing

The typical home in Brandon: about $215K

Only 8 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Brandon. Home values are up 7.6% over the year to September 2026. The town’s typical rent is $1,046 a month.

$215KZillow home value

	Brandon	Iowa towns	U.S. towns
Households that own their home	60%	70%	73%
Median rent	$1,046 a month	$911 a month	$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Brandon$215K

Iowa$237K

+7.6%

value change, 1 year

Full pageBrandon’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 7.6% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 3.5 years of income Rents$1,046 a month · Median rent

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Outdoors

0% of Brandon is conserved land

There are 0.2 miles of trail across 1 park or preserve. In Brandon, the trail network density is 0.7 miles per square mile. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in the town.

0%conserved

conserved · 0 of 206 acres

0.2 mi

of trails · 0.7 per sq mi