Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
50% more library visits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Jefferson gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $177K, 2.8 years of the county’s $63K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 94th of 140 in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its schools rank behind 78% of the state's. 32% of residents are 65 or older in Jefferson, above both Iowa’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Jefferson's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns. Jefferson has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Greene County Courthouse and George H. Gallup House.
Where Jefferson beats most towns.
Greene County CourthouseEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Jefferson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 779 in 1870, 4,182 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 3 maps from 1962 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jefferson, 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 Jefferson.
Jefferson trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by the Greene County Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Greene County High School, with 375 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 518 | C− |
| Greene County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 375 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $177K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. Home values rose 43% in five years, to about $177K, against 26% across Iowa.
Jefferson’s median rent is $754 a month. The typical Jefferson home is worth about $177,000, up 3.8% in a year, 25% below the Iowa typical home.
| Jefferson | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $754 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jefferson has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 10° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Jefferson’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Jefferson is $59,000. The top destinations are Carroll (3%), West Des Moines (2%) and Scranton (2%).
| Jefferson | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 37% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Jefferson since 1993.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jefferson's reported crime rate is below Iowa's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 5 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Jefferson | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,630 U.S. towns with household incomes like Jefferson’s, it is healthier than 75%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Jefferson beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Jefferson. Only 9 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Jefferson.
| Jefferson | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Jefferson | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.9% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 86.2% | 84.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.2% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.9 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Daubendiek Park, at 34 acres.
| Jefferson | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Daubendiek Park | 0.7 mi | 34 |
| 2. Head Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Kelso Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Jefferson; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Jefferson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
6 places in Jefferson on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Jefferson.
City in Iowa, United States
Jefferson is a city in, and the county seat of Greene County, Iowa, United States, along the North Raccoon River. The population was 4,182 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the home of the Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower, 168 feet (51 m) tall, located on the town square, and visible for miles. The tower is named for Floyd Mahanay, a businessman, philanthropist, and former resident. Jefferson is bisected east to west by the old Lincoln Highway (formerly U.S. 30). A new U.S. Route 30 is located approximately one mile to the north.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Jefferson grades C+ overall, better than 41% of U.S. towns and #94 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 B+.
10 notable people were born here, including George Gallup and Loren Shriver.
