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Atlantic, IowaAtlantic, #1 on this list · Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Iowa rankings · Civic life

Towns with the most civic life in Iowa

Atlantic ranks first on civic life among Iowa’s 138 towns of 2,500+; 67 of the 138 grade A− or better on civic life nationally.

The Civic life grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): library visits per resident (IMLS), community nonprofits (IRS) and volunteering groups. How grades work

#1

Atlantic

Cass County · 6,676 people
A+

Civic life grade, among the top in the U.S.·Overall C− · #115 of 140 in IA

#2

New Hampton

Chickasaw County · 3,420 people
A+

Civic life grade, among the top in the U.S.·Overall A− · #55 of 140 in IA

#3

Fairfield

Jefferson County · 9,220 people
A+

Civic life grade, among the top in the U.S.·Overall C+ · #99 of 140 in IA

All 138 towns

Civic life grade, best first (the letter is national). Towns with the same score share a rank; the overall grade and state rank are beside each.

138 towns ranked. Not here? See why a town may be missing.

#TownGradeOverall
1AtlanticCass County · 6,676 peopleA+among the top in the U.S.·Overall C− · #115 of 140
2New HamptonChickasaw County · 3,420 peopleA+among the top in the U.S.·Overall A− · #55 of 140
3FairfieldJefferson County · 9,220 peopleA+among the top in the U.S.·Overall C+ · #99 of 140
4OsageMitchell County · 3,552 peopleA+among the top in the U.S.·Overall A+ · #16 of 140
5Clear LakeCerro Gordo County · 7,601 peopleA+among the top in the U.S.·Overall B+ · #66 of 140
6WintersetMadison County · 5,520 peopleA+among the top in the U.S.·Overall A · #33 of 140
7West BranchCedar County · 2,956 peopleA+better than 98% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #35 of 140
8WaukonAllamakee County · 3,849 peopleA+better than 98% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #13 of 140
9MonticelloJones County · 4,104 peopleA+better than 98% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #27 of 140
10JesupBuchanan County · 2,557 peopleA+better than 97% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #54 of 140
11TiptonCedar County · 3,060 peopleA+better than 96% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #38 of 140
12JeffersonGreene County · 4,150 peopleA+better than 96% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #94 of 140
13VintonBenton County · 5,004 peopleA+better than 96% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #48 of 140
14WaverlyBremer County · 10,561 peopleAbetter than 95% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #59 of 140
15BooneBoone County · 12,471 peopleAbetter than 95% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #65 of 140
16Rock RapidsLyon County · 2,733 peopleAbetter than 95% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #20 of 140
17Charles CityFloyd County · 7,013 peopleAbetter than 94% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #111 of 140
18BloomfieldDavis County · 2,785 peopleAbetter than 94% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #79 of 140
19MadridBoone County · 2,820 peopleAbetter than 92% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #56 of 140
20Iowa FallsHardin County · 5,013 peopleAbetter than 92% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #100 of 140
21CherokeeCherokee County · 5,122 peopleAbetter than 92% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #70 of 140
22EldoraHardin County · 2,593 peopleAbetter than 91% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #112 of 140
23FairfaxLinn County · 2,925 peopleAbetter than 91% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #82 of 140
24NevadaStory County · 6,974 peopleAbetter than 91% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #43 of 140
25IndianolaWarren County · 16,829 peopleAbetter than 91% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #62 of 140
26EldridgeScott County · 6,954 peopleAbetter than 91% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #10 of 140
27IndependenceBuchanan County · 6,312 peopleAbetter than 90% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #52 of 140
28MaquoketaJackson County · 6,027 peopleAbetter than 90% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #124 of 140
29Orange CitySioux County · 6,468 peopleAbetter than 89% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #1 of 140
30WiltonMuscatine County · 2,892 peopleAbetter than 89% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #63 of 140
31Fort MadisonLee County · 9,935 peopleAbetter than 89% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #125 of 140
32MilfordDickinson County · 3,209 peopleAbetter than 89% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #50 of 140
33DecorahWinneshiek County · 7,417 peopleAbetter than 88% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #9 of 140
34HiawathaLinn County · 7,432 peopleAbetter than 88% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #107 of 140
35Center PointLinn County · 2,572 peopleAbetter than 88% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #5 of 140
36DyersvilleDubuque County · 4,574 peopleAbetter than 88% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #21 of 140
37Le ClaireScott County · 4,741 peopleAbetter than 87% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #57 of 140
38EmmetsburgPalo Alto County · 3,684 peopleAbetter than 87% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #32 of 140
39CarlisleWarren County · 4,532 peopleAbetter than 87% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #24 of 140
40OskaloosaMahaska County · 11,493 peopleAbetter than 87% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #80 of 140
41GlenwoodMills County · 5,287 peopleAbetter than 86% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #42 of 140
42GrinnellPoweshiek County · 9,430 peopleAbetter than 86% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #81 of 140
43AdelDallas County · 7,098 peopleAbetter than 86% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #19 of 140
44ClarindaPage County · 5,273 peopleAbetter than 86% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #109 of 140
45Windsor HeightsPolk County · 5,059 peopleA−better than 85% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #119 of 140
46ClarionWright County · 2,758 peopleA−better than 84% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #67 of 140
47SolonJohnson County · 3,345 peopleA−better than 84% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #11 of 140
48HudsonBlack Hawk County · 3,028 peopleA−better than 84% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #12 of 140
49Forest CityWinnebago County · 4,143 peopleA−better than 83% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #14 of 140
50BettendorfScott County · 40,710 peopleA−better than 83% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #44 of 140
51CrescoHoward County · 3,925 peopleA−better than 82% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #22 of 140
52Story CityStory County · 3,382 peopleA−better than 82% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #28 of 140
53SpencerClay County · 11,218 peopleA−better than 82% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #76 of 140
54CentervilleAppanoose County · 5,327 peopleA−better than 81% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #123 of 140
55Grundy CenterGrundy County · 2,814 peopleA−better than 81% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #4 of 140
56Polk CityPolk County · 6,630 peopleA−better than 80% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #8 of 140
57Mount PleasantHenry County · 8,500 peopleA−better than 80% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #83 of 140
58Spirit LakeDickinson County · 5,525 peopleA−better than 80% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #68 of 140
59JohnstonPolk County · 25,065 peopleA−better than 80% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #25 of 140
60Missouri ValleyHarrison County · 2,616 peopleA−better than 80% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #73 of 140
61Iowa CityJohnson County · 76,229 peopleA−better than 79% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #92 of 140
62Mason CityCerro Gordo County · 26,853 peopleA−better than 78% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #110 of 140
63HuxleyStory County · 4,715 peopleA−better than 78% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #26 of 140
64MuscatineMuscatine County · 23,164 peopleA−better than 76% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #117 of 140
65DeWittClinton County · 5,704 peopleA−better than 76% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #64 of 140
66CoralvilleJohnson County · 23,960 peopleA−better than 75% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #88 of 140
67ShenandoahPage County · 4,808 peopleA−better than 75% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #102 of 140
68CrestonUnion County · 7,335 peopleB+better than 74% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #84 of 140
69GarnerHancock County · 3,029 peopleB+better than 74% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #34 of 140
70Des MoinesPolk County · 212,086 peopleB+better than 74% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #134 of 140
71Red OakMontgomery County · 5,388 peopleB+better than 74% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #133 of 140
72BurlingtonDes Moines County · 23,336 peopleB+better than 73% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #118 of 140
73ManchesterDelaware County · 5,357 peopleB+better than 73% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #98 of 140
74KeokukLee County · 9,510 peopleB+better than 73% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #138 of 140
75OnawaMonona County · 2,821 peopleB+better than 72% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #114 of 140
76Cedar FallsBlack Hawk County · 41,240 peopleB+better than 72% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #46 of 140
77AlgonaKossuth County · 5,309 peopleB+better than 72% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #51 of 140
78AnamosaJones County · 5,901 peopleB+better than 71% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #97 of 140
79Mount VernonLinn County · 4,514 peopleB+better than 71% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #6 of 140
80GrimesPolk County · 17,405 peopleB+better than 71% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #15 of 140
81AmesStory County · 68,220 peopleB+better than 70% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #72 of 140
82WashingtonWashington County · 7,261 peopleB+better than 69% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #120 of 140
83Cedar RapidsLinn County · 137,935 peopleB+better than 69% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #104 of 140
84AlbiaMonroe County · 3,599 peopleB+better than 69% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #69 of 140
85North LibertyJohnson County · 21,976 peopleB+better than 69% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #47 of 140
86NewtonJasper County · 15,741 peopleB+better than 68% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #105 of 140
87UrbandalePolk County · 48,570 peopleB+better than 68% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #23 of 140
88Fort DodgeWebster County · 24,837 peopleB+better than 67% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #132 of 140
89Eagle GroveWright County · 3,653 peopleB+better than 67% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #122 of 140
90HumboldtHumboldt County · 4,675 peopleB+better than 66% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #86 of 140
91SibleyOsceola County · 2,762 peopleB+better than 65% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #106 of 140
92WilliamsburgIowa County · 3,408 peopleB+better than 65% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #37 of 140
93TiffinJohnson County · 7,156 peopleBbetter than 65% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #74 of 140
94HarlanShelby County · 4,859 peopleBbetter than 65% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #60 of 140
95Rock ValleySioux County · 4,188 peopleBbetter than 64% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #17 of 140
96PerryDallas County · 8,208 peopleBbetter than 63% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #93 of 140
97DubuqueDubuque County · 59,148 peopleBbetter than 63% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #96 of 140
98KnoxvilleMarion County · 7,469 peopleBbetter than 61% of U.S. towns·Overall C+ · #95 of 140
99West LibertyMuscatine County · 3,717 peopleBbetter than 61% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #103 of 140
100NorwalkWarren County · 15,004 peopleBbetter than 60% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #2 of 140
101AnkenyPolk County · 77,833 peopleBbetter than 59% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #30 of 140
102West Des MoinesPolk County · 74,224 peopleBbetter than 58% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #58 of 140
103PellaMarion County · 10,992 peopleBbetter than 58% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #7 of 140
104DavenportScott County · 100,358 peopleBbetter than 57% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #135 of 140
105MarionLinn County · 42,732 peopleBbetter than 56% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #31 of 140
106CharitonLucas County · 4,347 peopleBbetter than 56% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #101 of 140
107OsceolaClarke County · 5,679 peopleBbetter than 55% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #136 of 140
108MitchellvillePolk County · 2,671 peopleBbetter than 55% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #3 of 140
109RobinsLinn County · 3,366 peopleB−better than 53% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #89 of 140
110EsthervilleEmmet County · 5,807 peopleB−better than 51% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #78 of 140
111AltoonaPolk County · 22,796 peopleB−better than 51% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #85 of 140
112CarrollCarroll County · 10,085 peopleB−better than 49% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #40 of 140
113HamptonFranklin County · 4,264 peopleB−better than 49% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #87 of 140
114OelweinFayette County · 5,757 peopleB−better than 48% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #128 of 140
115WaukeeDallas County · 34,890 peopleB−better than 46% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #36 of 140
116Pleasant HillPolk County · 11,239 peopleB−better than 45% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #116 of 140
117Storm LakeBuena Vista County · 11,590 peopleB−better than 45% of U.S. towns·Overall C · #108 of 140
118BondurantPolk County · 9,647 peopleC+better than 44% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #45 of 140
119ClivePolk County · 19,861 peopleC+better than 43% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #49 of 140
120OttumwaWapello County · 25,319 peopleC+better than 37% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #139 of 140
121KalonaWashington County · 2,811 peopleC+better than 37% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #53 of 140
122Sergeant BluffWoodbury County · 5,324 peopleC+better than 36% of U.S. towns·Overall A+ · #18 of 140
123CamancheClinton County · 4,557 peopleC+better than 35% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #75 of 140
124SheldonO'Brien County · 5,575 peopleC+better than 35% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #77 of 140
125MarshalltownMarshall County · 27,536 peopleCbetter than 34% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #113 of 140
126ClintonClinton County · 24,049 peopleCbetter than 32% of U.S. towns·Overall C− · #121 of 140
127Le MarsPlymouth County · 10,760 peopleCbetter than 32% of U.S. towns·Overall A− · #41 of 140
128HawardenSioux County · 2,665 peopleCbetter than 31% of U.S. towns·Overall B · #71 of 140
129DenisonCrawford County · 8,214 peopleCbetter than 31% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #90 of 140
130Webster CityHamilton County · 7,815 peopleCbetter than 29% of U.S. towns·Overall B− · #91 of 140
131WaterlooBlack Hawk County · 66,919 peopleCbetter than 28% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #137 of 140
132Sioux CenterSioux County · 8,864 peopleCbetter than 27% of U.S. towns·Overall A · #29 of 140
133EvansdaleBlack Hawk County · 4,463 peopleCbetter than 25% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #140 of 140
134AsburyDubuque County · 6,035 peopleC−better than 24% of U.S. towns·Overall B+ · #61 of 140
135Sioux CityWoodbury County · 86,356 peopleC−better than 18% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #129 of 140
136Carter LakePottawattamie County · 3,670 peopleC−better than 17% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #126 of 140
137Council BluffsPottawattamie County · 62,680 peopleDbetter than 12% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #127 of 140
138TamaTama County · 3,011 peopleDbetter than 11% of U.S. towns·Overall D · #131 of 140
Not ranked

2 towns without a civic life grade

Towns of 2,500+ that don’t have the figures this grade needs. Each town’s page says which ones are missing.

Quick answers

Questions people ask

Which Iowa town has the most civic life?

Atlantic (Cass County) ranks first on civic life among 138 towns, with an A+; New Hampton and Fairfield follow.

How are these towns ranked?

The Civic life grade, a character grade (not part of the overall): library visits per resident (IMLS), community nonprofits (IRS) and volunteering groups. Towns are sorted on the grade’s score; the letter and rank are the same as on each town’s page. How grades work.

Why isn’t my town on this list?

The list covers towns of 2,500+ residents with a civic life grade (138 in Iowa). 2 towns of 2,500+ lack the figures and are listed above. Smaller towns have the grade on their page but no rank. Every town is on the Iowa page.

Go deeper

More Iowa lists

Every list ranks the same 2,500+ towns, so a town’s rank means the same thing on each.

All Iowa rankings →
Best places to live140 towns · #1 Orange CityBest small towns99 towns · #1 Orange CityMost affordable towns140 towns · #1 EmmetsburgSafest towns105 towns · #1 Rock ValleyTowns with the best schools140 towns · #1 Grundy CenterHealthiest towns140 towns · #1 SolonBest towns for jobs & income140 towns · #1 EldridgeMost walkable towns140 towns · #1 Iowa CityTowns with the lowest natural-hazard risk140 towns · #1 SaylorvilleBest towns for the outdoors140 towns · #1 Polk CityMost historic towns140 towns · #1 VintonTowns with the least snow140 towns · #1 Fort MadisonDescribed, no lettersSnowiest towns140 towns · #1 Clear LakeDescribed, no lettersTowns with the mildest winters142 towns · #1 KeokukDescribed, no lettersTowns with the hottest summers142 towns · #1 Council BluffsDescribed, no lettersTowns with the coolest summers142 towns · #1 Postville and WaukonDescribed, no lettersTowns with the highest incomes140 towns · #1 Polk CityDescribed, no lettersTowns with the lowest property taxes140 towns · #1 Fort MadisonDescribed, no lettersFastest-growing towns139 towns · #1 TiffinDescribed, no lettersTowns with the most-used libraries51 towns · #1 CoralvilleDescribed, no letters
Other states

Towns with the most civic life in other states

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