Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
La Porte City’s best subject grades are an A for civic life and an A− for history; its weakest is a C for hazard risk. 7.9% of working residents work locally in La Porte City, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 9 have a higher typical journey to work than La Porte City. Its National Register listings include La Porte City Station and John N. and Mary McQuilken House. La Porte City has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where La Porte City beats most towns.
LaPorte City Town Hall and Fire StationWhere La Porte City’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 La Porte City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1912.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Porte 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 La Porte City.
For half of commuters, work is under 16 miles away. Employers in La Porte City shed 27 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 465. The top destinations are Waterloo (45%), Cedar Falls (16%) and Cedar Rapids (3%).
| La Porte City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 8.5% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its two schools are below. 2 public schools serve La Porte City, with 539 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Porte City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 260 | A+ |
| Union High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 279 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Expect July afternoons of 83° and January nights of 10°, with about 34 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 102 flood insurance claims have been paid out in La Porte City. 58% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by drought at 17%. Households in the town have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2014.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). The median age in La Porte City is 34.3 years. Iowa has 31% of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more; here it is 24%. A quarter of residents are under 18 in the town.
| La Porte City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.3 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 19% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| La Porte City | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.3% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.8% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.4% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.7% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.1% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.3% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 22.8% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.9% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,200, single groups can be off by several points
The share of adults in La Porte City who report frequent physical distress: 13%. On the CDC’s 32 measures, La Porte City is ahead of Iowa on 1 and behind on 1. Only 8 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than La Porte City.
| La Porte City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | La Porte City | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.5% | 9.4% |
| More adults with high cholesterol | 38.9% | 35.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest park or preserve is Brett Kilma Wildlife Management Area, at 81 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brett Kilma Wildlife Management Area | — | 81 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 2.4% in value. La Porte City: 78% of households own their home. In La Porte City, the going rate for rent is $955 a month.
| La Porte City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $955 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of La Porte City
About 7 of every 100 La Porte City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
7 places in La Porte City on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Iowa, US
La Porte City is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,284 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Waterloo–Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
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−.
2 notable people were born here, including Fran Allison and John C. Chapple.
