Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,264, established in 1856.
Hampton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $141K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the county’s $60K median household income. It grades B− overall, 87th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $47K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. Hampton has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Franklin County Courthouse and Dr. O. B. Harriman House. Only 1 of the 137 Iowa towns we compare have a lower median rent than Hampton. Hampton is more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns.
Where Hampton beats most towns.
Franklin County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Hampton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 588 in 1870, 4,337 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1979 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hampton, 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 Hampton.
Hampton is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Against the 4,698 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hampton’s, it is less healthy than 54%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
34% of Hampton adults get no exercise outside work, above both Iowa’s towns (26%) and U.S. towns (25%). 17% of Hampton adults binge drink. Hampton beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 26% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 18% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hampton | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 77.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 13.3% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hampton-Dumont Community School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hampton-Dumont High School, with 457 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton-Dumont Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 363 | C+ |
| Hampton-Dumont High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 457 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Hampton’s property crime rate is 2.5 per 1,000 residents, below both the Iowa town median (7.4) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9).
| Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.4 years of the county’s $60K median household income, the typical home (about $141K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $1,440, against $2,897 across Iowa, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Typical home values rose 4.4% in the year to September 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hampton has cold winters and pleasant summers. Hampton’s July high is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 4 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a lower median household income than Hampton. About one in 3 of Hampton’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Hampton is 19 minutes.
| Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
0.6 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. East Park | — | 15 |
| 2. Progress Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Hampton City Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Hampton; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Hampton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
6 places in Hampton on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Hampton.
Town in Iowa, United States
Hampton is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,337 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 4,340 in 2024. The city is located two miles southeast of Beeds Lake State Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hampton grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #87 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C− for health, A− for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income 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.
8 notable people were born here, including William D. Leahy and Tom Latham.
