IAMap-doton-Sanborn, 2004
Sanborn’s story
148 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2004.
- 1878Sanborn is settled
SanbornIA
A town of 1,463, settled in 1878. A typical home costs 3 years of the county’s $68K median household income.
Trash & recyclingPopulation
1,463
2025 Census estimate · +5% since 2020
Typical home
$207K
+7% in a year
Household income
$59K
median
Median age
45.5
years
Jobs based here
523
Balanced
Is Sanborn a good place to live?
Sanborn’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 36% of residents are 65 or older in Sanborn, against 19% in Iowa’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 9 have a higher median age than Sanborn. Sanborn is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 71% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Miller Park, at 82 acres. Sanborn has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sanborn stand out
Where Sanborn beats most towns.
Typical home value
Sanborn$207K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA−
3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 77% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityB+
More walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
3.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Small town
1,463 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Sanborn grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Sanborn is from typical.
Jobs & income$59K median household incomeC−Open →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 6.6% of households have no carB+Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 36% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listBOpen →HealthSanford Sheldon Medical Center 9.7 miles awayC+Open →SchoolsC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailBOpen →History3 notable people born hereC+Open →Civic life6.8 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sanborn: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sanborn, and how to reach them.
PowerCity of SanbornEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterSanborn Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpBrommer Sanitation Inc.Trash haulerTown site
Register to voteOnlineIn Iowa you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereO'Brien County AuditorO'Brien County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5124851248 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Sanborn.
Who lives here
Older than Iowa overall
20% of residents are under 18 in Sanborn, below both Iowa’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (22%). Sanborn has grown 5% since 2020, to 1,463 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
45.5median age · IA 38.6
| Sanborn | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
SanbornIowaUnited States
Ages · share of residents
21%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma5%
High school39%
Some college22%
Associate’s10%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate4%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.3 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Sanborn | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.6% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.2% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.8% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 6.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.8% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 21% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.3% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.6% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.7% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.1% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,500, single groups can be off by several points
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Sanborn’s schools trail 60% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
40%of IA districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 165 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Climate
In Sanborn, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Sanborn has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Sanborn’s July high is 83°F.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter10–28°
Spring35–57°
Summer59–81°
Fall37–59°
Oct 7
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+0.7°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Most of Sanborn’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Sanborn for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Sanborn is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Sanborn fell to 523 in 2023, 39 fewer than in 2013.
10%work in town
| Sanborn | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Sanborn10%
Sheldon19%
Primghar7%
Orange City5%
Spencer3%
15 mi
median commute distance
523
jobs based in Sanborn
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 71% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC+
Health in Sanborn trails 62% of U.S. towns
Sanborn beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Sanborn. Only 2 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Sanborn.
38%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
| Sanborn | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 26% | 25% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 12% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 20% | 16% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
2 better23 too close to call7 worse
| What stands out | Sanborn | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9% | 11.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.2% | 77.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.2% | 6.6% |
Sanford Sheldon Medical Center
9.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Sanborn faces a low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities.
36risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesHail
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HousingCost of living grade A−
A typical Sanborn home is worth about $207K
The typical Sanborn home is worth about $207,000, up 7% in a year, 12% below the Iowa typical home.
$207KZillow home value
| Sanborn | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $954 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 70% | 73% |
Typical home value
Sanborn$207K
Iowa$237K
+7%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,196 acres
0.6 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Miller Park | 0.1 mi | 82 |
| 2. Efil Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sanborn
19pages on Sanborn
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sanborn
About 5 of every 100 Sanborn residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
Famous people from Sanborn
3 notable people were born in Sanborn.
About Sanborn
City in Iowa, USA
Sanborn is a city in O'Brien County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,392 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,552 ft
- ZIP code
- 51248
- Area code
- 712
Questions about Sanborn
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sanborn, IA expensive?
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−.
What is Sanborn, IA known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Wiley Mayne and Will Kirk Kaynor.