Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,196. 45% more library visits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Melcher-Dallas’ best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a D for schools. On cost of living, just 25 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 3 have a higher average trip to work than Melcher-Dallas. Only 10 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on the outdoors. Melcher-Dallas has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Melcher-Dallas beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Melcher-Dallas is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,290 in 1940, 1,195 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and a map from 1982 on.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Melcher-Dallas, 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 Melcher-Dallas.
Its public schools are run by the Melcher-Dallas Community School District. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melcher-Dallas ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 157 | C− |
| Melcher-Dallas High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 151 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Melcher-Dallas for work: only 5% work in town. 14% of residents live below the poverty line in Melcher-Dallas, against 11% in Iowa’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The median household income in Melcher-Dallas is $59,000.
| Melcher-Dallas | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Melcher-Dallas has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 14° and about 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. 26% of residents are under 18 in Melcher-Dallas, where Iowa’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Melcher-Dallas’ median age is 34.1 years.
| Melcher-Dallas | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34.1 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 25% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.3 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Melcher-Dallas | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.1% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.3% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.5% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.9% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.7% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.5% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 3.6% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Melcher-Dallas beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Melcher-Dallas.
| Melcher-Dallas | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Melcher-Dallas | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
79% of Melcher-Dallas households own their home.
| Melcher-Dallas | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $789 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Melcher-Dallas. Close and well known come first.
32 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
31 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol32 mi Theme parkAdventureland
28 mi Zoo & aquariumBlank Park Zoo
34 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
34 mi Stadium & arenaDrake StadiumCasey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Blank Park Zoo: Lawrence Lansing, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Melcher-Dallas; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Melcher-Dallas residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Melcher-Dallas’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, US
Melcher-Dallas is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,195 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
45% more library visits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $100,000, 58% below the Iowa typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
