Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,420, settled in 1855. 31% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
New Hampton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $181K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the county’s $76K median household income. It grades A− overall, 55th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. On the plus side, its public schools beat 77% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. 39% of working residents work locally in New Hampton, where Iowa’s towns sit at 31% and U.S. towns at 8%. New Hampton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 99% of U.S. towns. Of the 115 Iowa towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than New Hampton.
Where New Hampton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampton Elementary School | PK–4 | 504 |
| St. Joseph Community School | PK–8 | 108 |
| New Hampton Middle School | 5–8 | 304 |
Where New Hampton’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 New Hampton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 455 in 1870, 3,494 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Hampton, 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 New Hampton.
New Hampton pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Iowa norm, pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and draws workers from Charles City and beyond.
2,719 jobs are based in New Hampton, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of New Hampton’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in New Hampton is 15 minutes. Jobs based in New Hampton grew to 2,719 in 2023, 333 more than in 2013.
| New Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $181K.
Its public schools are run by the New Hampton Community School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is New Hampton High School, with 318 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 504 | C |
| New Hampton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 318 | A− |
| New Hampton Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 304 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
New Hampton grades A− overall with a typical home of about $181K, below the Iowa typical value; only 10 of the 55 Iowa towns graded A− or better can say that. At 2.4 years of the county’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $181K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
New Hampton’s median rent is $743 a month. The typical New Hampton home is worth about $181,000, up 4.2% in a year, 23% below the Iowa typical home.
| New Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $743 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Only 2 of the 140 Iowa towns we compare have a lower July high than New Hampton. New Hampton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in New Hampton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 31% of residents (37% statewide). 26% of New Hampton residents are under 18. New Hampton has lost 2.2% of its people since 2020, down to 3,420 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| New Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.6 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 25% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| New Hampton | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 17.3% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.7% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.5% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.4% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.3% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,400, single groups can be off by several points
New Hampton's reported crime rate is well below Iowa's. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 9,574 U.S. towns with household incomes like New Hampton’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Iowa is tooth loss: 7.5% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.6% statewide.
New Hampton beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 20% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in New Hampton.
| New Hampton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | New Hampton | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.5% | 11.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4% | 3.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.0 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Mikkelson Park, at 26 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mikkelson Park | — | 26 |
| 2. Runion Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Stoltz Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of New Hampton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 New Hampton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
9 notable people were born in New Hampton.
City in Iowa, USA
New Hampton is a city in and the county seat of Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,494 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.
By most measures, yes. New Hampton grades A− overall, better than 76% of U.S. towns and #55 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C+ for health and A− for schools.
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.
9 notable people were born here, including Greg Ganske and Carleton H. Wright.
