Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Newton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $203K for a typical one, or 2.4 years of the Des Moines metro’s $86K median household income. It grades C overall, 105th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 82% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include St. Stephen's Episcopal Church and Jasper County Courthouse. 32% of working residents work locally in Newton, against 31% in Iowa’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Newton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 78% of U.S. towns.
Where Newton beats most towns.
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
Census counts: 1,617 in 1860, 15,760 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1965 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Newton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Newton, 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 Newton.
Newton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Its public schools are run by the Newton Community School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Newton Senior High School, with 806 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berg Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 790 | C− |
| Newton Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 806 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Newton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Newton’s violent crime rate is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Newton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 8,246 U.S. towns with household incomes like Newton’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Newton beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Newton.
| Newton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Newton | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.7% | 6.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| More smokers | 17.4% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Newton has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 12° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Newton’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Newton has lost 1,057 jobs, to 6,203 in 2023. The median household income in Newton is $58,000.
| Newton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 8.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $203K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles. At 2.4 years of the Des Moines metro’s $86K median household income, the typical home (about $203K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
62% of Newton households own their home. The typical Newton home is worth about $203,000, up 3.1% in a year, 14% below the Iowa typical home.
| Newton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $819 a month | $913 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.2 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Agnes Patterson Memorial Park, at 57 acres.
| Newton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Agnes Patterson Memorial Park | 0.4 mi | 57 |
| 2. Maytag Park | — | 38 |
| 3. Woodland Park | — | 38 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Newton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Newton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
9 places in Newton on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Newton.
City in Iowa, United States
Newton is the county seat of and the most populous city in Jasper County, Iowa, United States. Located 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines, Newton is in Central Iowa. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 15,760. It is the home of Iowa Speedway and Maytag Dairy Farms.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Newton.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton | #105 | C | A− | C | C− | C |
| Lambs Grove | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Lambs Grove isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Newton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Newton grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #105 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
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−.
15 notable people were born here, including Charles Murray and Sharon Needles.
