Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cheap to live in, with trade-offs. Mason City ranks 110th of 140 in Iowa, with a C− overall. On that grade it does better than a quarter of U.S. towns. Its lowest grade is for schools (D): its public schools trail 89% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. Walkability is its strong suit: it is more walkable than 92% of U.S. towns. It also does well on cost of living: a typical home costs about $160K, 2.3 years of the Mason City area’s $69K median household income. Its National Register listings include Park Inn Hotel and Rock Crest-Rock Glen Historic District. 56% of working residents work locally here, above both the Iowa town median (31%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%).
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · National Register of Historic Places · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where Mason City beats most towns.
City National Bank Building
Its 40 National Register listings are more than in 94% of Iowa towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,183 in 1870, 27,338 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1959 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Mason City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mason 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 Mason City.
Mason City is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Iowa (mostly inland flooding).
Two of its 11 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Public schools: the Mason City Community School District. The 6 public schools in Mason City teach 2,336 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln IntermediateLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 485 | D |
| Mason City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 891 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Property crime runs at 25.5 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Iowa rate, most of it theft.
For Mason City, the violent crime rate is 3.5 per 1,000 residents. Only 7 of the 115 Iowa towns we compare have a higher level of property crime than Mason City.
| Mason City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.3 years of the Mason City area’s $69K median household income, the typical home (about $160K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
In Mason City, the going rate for rent is $882 a month. Zillow values the typical Mason City home at about $160,000, up 1.6% in a year, 32% below the Iowa typical home. For renter households here, the share who spend 30% or more of their income on rent is 37%.
| Mason City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 37% | 42% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $882 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Iowa towns, with expected losses of about $296 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Mason City has had 147 paid flood insurance claims since 1978. The FEMA hazard score here is 71 of 100. Expected losses in Mason City break down as 52% from inland flooding and 28% from tornadoes. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Mason City after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mason City’s July high comes in at 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Ray Rorick Park, at 86 acres. Trails run 9.6 miles in 34 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Mason City: 34, covering 497 acres.
| Mason City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. East Park | 1.7 mi | 56 |
| 2. Georgia L Hanford MacNider Park | 1.6 mi | 60 |
| 3. Lime Creek Conservation Area | 1.3 mi | 65 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 11,699 working residents takes 13.5 minutes, against 19.8 across Iowa.
Jobs based here fell to 15,586 in 2023, 1,471 fewer than in 2013. In Mason City, 4.3% of workers work remotely from home. The town’s mean commuting time stands at 14 minutes. The top destinations are Clear Lake (6%), Des Moines (2%) and Cedar Falls (1%).
| Mason City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 56% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.3% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,904 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mason City’s, it is healthier than 56%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Among adults in Mason City, 33% feel lonely. In Mason City, nearly a fifth of adults binge drink, and 16% smoke cigarettes.
| Mason City | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Mason City | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 32% | 27% |
| More adults with heart disease | 7.8% | 6.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 3.9% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mason City
About 3 of every 100 Mason City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
40 places in Mason City on the National Register of Historic Places.
35 notable people were born in Mason City.
City in Iowa, United States
Mason City is a city in and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical theatre heritage, serving as the inspiration for the town of “River City” in The Music Man. It is also home to a significant collection of Prairie School style architecture. Along with nearby Clear Lake, the city forms a regional commercial, industrial, and cultural hub for north-central Iowa. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area which includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties is located at the transportation junction between Interstate 35 and the Avenue of the Saints. Geographically, Des Moines is located 120 …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mason City grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #110 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
35 notable people were born here, including Meredith Willson and Tanna Frederick.
