Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,975, platted in 1866. 57% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
The best of Ogden’s subject grades are an A for safety, an A− for schools, and an A+ for civic life. Only 10 of Iowa’s 127 towns score higher on safety. Ogden is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Ogden. Ogden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ogden beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ogden Elementary School | PK–5 | 321 |
| Ogden Middle School | 6–8 | 158 |
| Ogden High School | 9–12 | 234 |
Where Ogden’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 Ogden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 568 in 1880, 2,007 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ogden, 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 Ogden.
At 1.5 per 1,000 residents, Ogden’s property crime rate is against 7.3 in Iowa’s towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Ogden’s violent crime rate is 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Ogden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 7.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Ogden Community School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogden Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 321 | A |
| Ogden High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 234 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Ogden for work: only 8% work in town. The top destinations are Ames (20%), Boone (15%) and Des Moines (6%). Half commute less than 21 miles.
| Ogden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.9% | 31% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.4% | 8.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ogden has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ogden beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 43% of Ogden adults have obesity, above both the Iowa town median (38%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 20% of Ogden adults binge drink.
| Ogden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.6% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ogden | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.7% | 11.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Ogden home is worth about $237,000, up 3.8% in a year, close to the Iowa typical home. The median rent in Ogden is $733 a month.
| Ogden | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $733 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Midfield Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ogden; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Ogden residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Iowa, USA
Ogden is a city in Yell Township, Boone County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,007 at the time of the 2020 census, down 1.8% from 2,044 in the 2010 census. It is part of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the larger Ames-Boone, Iowa Combined Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
57% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Not for the area. That is 3.2 years of the area's median household income ($73,127 across the Ames, IA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.