Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
North Liberty grades A− overall, 47th among Iowa's 140 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 84% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $102K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $311K, 4.1 years of the Iowa City metro’s $75K median household income. 55% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in North Liberty, above both the Iowa town median (25%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). North Liberty has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Samuel and Emma A. Ranshaw House. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 1 have a lower share of residents 65 or older than North Liberty.
Where North Liberty beats most towns.
| Widest gap | North Liberty | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.3% | 6.6% |
13,374 counted in 2010 and 20,479 in 2020; an estimated 21,976 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.3% since 2020, after 53.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far North Liberty is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 171 in 1920, 20,479 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1876 and 2 maps from 1903 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Liberty. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
15 mi MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
6 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
14 mi National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
16 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
7 mi MuseumUniversity of Iowa Stanley Museum of ArtKinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Liberty, 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 North Liberty.
10 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. North Liberty’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Centennial Park, at 41 acres.
| North Liberty | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.1 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.3% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Penn Meadows Park | 0.9 mi | 40 |
| 2. Creekside Commons | 0.6 mi | 19 |
| 3. Centennial Park | 0.1 mi | 41 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Iowa City Community School District. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Central Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 925 | B+ |
| Liberty High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,286 | A− |
| Penn Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 512 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
It ranks #2 of the 140 Iowa towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Iowa is heart disease: 3.3% of its 14,538 adults have heart disease, against 6.6% statewide.
24% of adults have high blood pressure in North Liberty. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have obesity than North Liberty. 6.5% of adults have diabetes in North Liberty.
| North Liberty | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 35% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.5% | 12% | 12% |
| What stands out | North Liberty | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.3% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.7% | 6.9% |
| More binge drinkers | 26.1% | 20.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The property crime rate in North Liberty is 3.5 per 1,000 residents.
| North Liberty | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave North Liberty for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, North Liberty has added 983 jobs, to 7,306 in 2023. 16% of North Liberty workers work from home.
| North Liberty | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 16% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.2% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.1% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical North Liberty home is worth about $311,000, up 2.2% in a year, 31% above the Iowa typical home.
| North Liberty | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,246 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 70% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
North Liberty 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
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities. Since 2008, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Liberty.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of North Liberty
About 8 of every 100 North Liberty residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where North Liberty’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in North Liberty on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Iowa, United States
North Liberty is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 20,479. From 2000 to 2010, North Liberty was the second fastest-growing city in Iowa. A 2017 LendEDU poll named North Liberty the ninth most educated city in the United States and the most educated city in the Midwest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with North Liberty.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Liberty | #47 | A− | C | A− | B− | A |
| Coralville | #88 | B− | C− | C | B− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. North Liberty grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #47 of 140 in Iowa. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
