Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 75, settled in 1892.
26% of residents live below the poverty line in Ralston, above both the Iowa town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Ralston. Lincoln Highway-West Greene County Rural Segment is on the National Register of Historic Places. Ralston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 175 in 1910, a peak of 202 in 1940, 81 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1980 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ralston, 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 Ralston.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ralston has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 10° and about 32 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ralston tracks Iowa closely on all 32 CDC measures. 21% of Ralston adults binge drink, against 20% in Iowa’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Ralston.
| Ralston | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Ralston; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Ralston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Iowa, USA
Ralston is a city in Carroll and Greene counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 81 at the time of the 2020 census.
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Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ralston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.