Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Columbus Junction’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a C for schools. On cost of living, just 2 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Only 24 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on the outdoors. Columbus Junction School 1882-1920 is on the National Register of Historic Places. Columbus Junction has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Columbus Junction beats most towns.
Columbus Junction School 1882-1920Where Columbus Junction’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Columbus Junction is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Columbus Junction, 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 Columbus Junction.
At 29 minutes, Columbus Junction’s average trip to work is where Iowa’s towns sit at 19 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 7.1% of working residents work locally in Columbus Junction. Jobs based in Columbus Junction fell to 355 in 2023, 23 fewer than in 2013.
| Columbus Junction | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.1% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Columbus Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roundy Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 383 | C+ |
| Columbus Community High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 220 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
At $623 a month, Columbus Junction’s median rent is below both Iowa’s towns ($911 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Typical home values rose 4.9% in the year to September 2026.
| Columbus Junction | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $623 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Columbus Junction has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 14° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Columbus Junction.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Columbus Junction beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 16% of Columbus Junction adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. No town among the 141 in Iowa we compare has a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Columbus Junction.
| Columbus Junction | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 7% | 8.1% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 21% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Columbus Junction | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with depression | 17.1% | 20.7% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.7% | 8.7% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.9% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 3 have a lower share of conserved land than Columbus Junction.
| Columbus Junction | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hoover Nature Trail | 0.3 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Columbus Junction; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Columbus Junction residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
3 notable people were born in Columbus Junction.
City in Iowa, United States
Columbus Junction is a city in Louisa County, Iowa. The population was 1,830 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area. Columbus Junction is home of the historic Swinging Bridge, found one block south of Highway 92 near downtown. The 262-foot-long steel cable and wood suspension bridge was built in 1922 as an elevated walkway connecting Third and Fourth streets. The Columbus Community School District (which serves Columbus Junction, Columbus City, Fredonia, Cotter, Conesville, and other surrounding townships) is based in Columbus Junction. The school's colors are blue and white and their mascot is a wildcat. The city's largest employer is a Tyson Foods me…
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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Dorothy van Dyke Leake and Edward E. Cushman.