Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Muscatine is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 117th among Iowa's 140 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $194K, 2.8 years of the Muscatine area’s $69K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 87% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 20 places on the National Register. 51% of working residents work locally in Muscatine, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include Sinnett Octagon House and Alexander Clark House. Only 27 of Iowa’s 276 towns score higher on walkability.
Where Muscatine beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,540 in 1850, 23,797 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1844 and 5 maps from 1948 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Muscatine is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Muscatine, 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 Muscatine.
Muscatine is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Iowa; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Its public schools are run by the Muscatine Community School District. Two of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Clark Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 544 | C− |
| Muscatine High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,380 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
11 miles of trail in 19 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Discovery Park, at 91 acres.
| Muscatine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.8% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fuller Park | 1.4 mi | 47 |
| 2. Discovery Park | 0.6 mi | 91 |
| 3. Muscatine Soccer Complex | 0.4 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 8,376 U.S. towns with household incomes like Muscatine’s, it is less healthy than 52%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Muscatine beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 21% of Muscatine adults binge drink.
| Muscatine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Muscatine | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 10.8% | 7.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.7% | 12% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 12.4% | 9.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 13.4°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 80% of Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 84.5°.
Muscatine has cold winters and warm summers. The January low in Muscatine is 13°F. About 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Muscatine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 13°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Typical home values rose 5.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Muscatine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $974 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
19% of residents live below the poverty line in Muscatine. Since 2013, Muscatine has lost 1,192 jobs, to 14,278 in 2023. Muscatine’s average trip to work is 16 minutes.
| Muscatine | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
75 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 75 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Muscatine.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 346 to 256 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Muscatine; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Muscatine residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
20 places in Muscatine on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Muscatine.
City in Iowa, United States
Muscatine ( MUSS-kə-TEEN) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000. It is located along the Mississippi River. The local business association states that the name Muscatine is not used by any other community. Muscatine is the principal city of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area (2010 census population 54,132) as of 2011 the estimate was 54,184, which includes all of Muscatine and Louisa counties, making it the 283rd-largest micropolitan statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Muscatine.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscatine | #117 | C− | B− | C+ | D | C |
| Kent Estates | — | — | C | — | D | B+ |
Kent Estates has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Kent Estates reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Muscatine with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Muscatine grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #117 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
28 notable people were born here, including Charles Fox Parham and Max Allan Collins.
