Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
54% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
The best of Greenfield’s subject grades are an A for cost of living, civic life, and history; the weakest is a D for incomes. On incomes, just 15 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Greenfield has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Adair County Courthouse and Hotel Greenfield. Greenfield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Greenfield beats most towns.
Warren Opera House Block and Hetherington BlockWhere Greenfield’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 Greenfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Greenfield, 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 Greenfield.
About one in 3 of Greenfield’s working residents works in town. Greenfield’s average trip to work is 17 minutes, below both the Iowa town median (19 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). 14% of Greenfield residents live below the poverty line.
| Greenfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Nodaway Valley Community School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nodaway Valley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 312 | C+ |
| Nodaway Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 180 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Greenfield’s property crime rate is 2 per 1,000 residents, against 7.3 in Iowa’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns.
| Greenfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 7.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Greenfield has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 12° and about 26 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). The median age in Greenfield is 43 years. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Greenfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Greenfield | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.2% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6.6% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.2% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,100, single groups can be off by several points
Greenfield’s median rent is $624 a month. Typical home values rose 8.5% in the year to September 2026.
| Greenfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $624 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Greenfield beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Greenfield.
| Greenfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Greenfield | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81% | 77.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.1 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Only 3 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Greenfield.
| Greenfield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.2% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greenfield City Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
| 2. Lake Greenfield Recreation Area | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Greenfield; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Greenfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
6 places in Greenfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Greenfield.
City in Iowa, United States
Greenfield is a city in and the county seat of Adair County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 2,062. Greenfield is located in Greenfield and Lee Townships.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
54% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
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 Bill Larson and Charles B. Hoyt.
