Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Charles City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $145K for a typical one, or 2.1 years of the county’s $69K median household income. It grades C− overall, 111th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top, and its public schools trail 88% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it has 8 miles of trail. 46% of working residents work locally in Charles City, above both Iowa’s towns (31%) and U.S. towns (8%). Charles City has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them A. B. C. Dodd House and Alvin Miller House. Charles City's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Charles City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 2,166 in 1870, a peak of 10,309 in 1950, 7,396 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1888 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Charles City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Charles City, 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 Charles City.
Charles City is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Iowa (mostly inland flooding).
In Charles City, the trail network density is 1.3 miles per square mile. There are 7.9 miles of trail across 21 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Westwood Park, at 79 acres.
| Charles City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wildwood Park | 1.4 mi | 54 |
| 2. Riverfront Park | 0.6 mi | 6 |
| 3. Merten J Klaus Park | 0.3 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Two of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list. Public schools: the Charles City Community School District. The largest public high school is Charles City High School, with 472 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles City Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 386 | C− |
| Charles City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 472 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Iowa towns, with expected losses of about $503 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 157 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1979, Charles City has seen 157 flood insurance claims paid out. FEMA puts 69% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 18% to tornadoes. Federal aid has come to Charles City households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.1 years of the county’s $69K median household income, the typical home (about $145K) costs less against local pay than in 87% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Zillow values the typical Charles City home at about $145,000, up 9.3% in a year, 39% below the Iowa typical home. In Charles City, the median rent is $735 a month. The share of households in Charles City who own their home: 68%.
| Charles City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $735 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Charles City’s peak summer temperature stands at 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Mason City (6%), New Hampton (5%) and Osage (2%). Charles City’s average trip to work comes in at 15 minutes. In Charles City, 13% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Charles City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,707 U.S. towns with household incomes like Charles City’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
38% of adults have high blood pressure in Charles City. The town does better than the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 7. Also worth knowing: only 9 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Charles City.
| Charles City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Charles City | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.6% | 77.8% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.1% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate for Charles City comes to 6.1 per 1,000 residents. Charles City’s rate of reported violence is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Charles City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Charles City; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Charles City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
13 places in Charles City on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Iowa, USA
Charles City is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,396 at the 2020 census. Charles City is a significant commercial, industrial, and transportation center for the area. U.S. Routes 18, 218 (the Avenue of the Saints), and Iowa Highway 14 converge in the city. The nearest population centers are Mason City (35 miles to the west), Waterloo-Cedar Falls (45 miles to the southeast), and the state capital of Des Moines is located 150 miles to the southwest. Charles City is known for its history in agricultural manufacturing, and is where the term "tractor" was first conied by the former Hart-Parr Gasoline Engine Company. Other sites of interest …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Charles City grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #111 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
