Sheffield Iowa 20090322 City Hall, 2009
Sheffield’s story
152 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
- 1874Sheffield is settled
SheffieldIA
A town of 1,103, settled in 1874. 64% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Photo: Ashton B Crew · CC BY 3.0
Population
1,103
2025 Census estimate · −1.5% since 2020
Typical home
$177K
+6.2% in a year
Household income
$54K
median
Median age
46.2
years
Jobs based here
824
A job hub
Is Sheffield a good place to live?
The best of Sheffield’s subject grades are an A for cost of living and an A+ for civic life; the weakest is a C− for incomes. Among 141 Iowa towns, just 1 have a higher average trip to work than Sheffield. Sheffield is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 72% of U.S. towns. Only 7 of the 138 Iowa towns we compare have a lower median rent than Sheffield. Only 19 of Iowa’s 271 towns score higher on civic life. The biggest park or preserve is Sheffield Swimming Pool Park, at 28 acres. Sheffield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Sheffield stand out
Where Sheffield beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Sheffield12.4
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical IA town7.5
Civic lifeA+
64% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Iowa town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Jobs vs. working residents
Jobs here824
Residents who work452
Work
A regional job hub: more jobs per worker than 91% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023.
Typical home value
Sheffield$177K
Iowa$237K
Cost of livingA
3 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 89% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
Small town
1,103 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
How Sheffield grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Sheffield is from typical.
Cost of livingAOpen →Jobs & incomeC−Open →SchoolsC−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20; 3% of households have no car; 8.2% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB+Open →HealthFranklin General Hospital 10.3 miles awayB−Open →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 47% of U.S. communities; drought tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors2 miles of trailsBOpen →History1 notable person born hereB−Open →Civic life12.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
ClimateSnowy winters, 83° summer afternoons, 44″ of snow–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 46.2; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sheffield: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sheffield, and how to reach them.
PowerMidAmerican Energy11.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterSheffield Water SupplyNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet9 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Sheffield’s trash rules yet
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 hereFranklin County AuditorFranklin County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Nov 2025
ZIP code5047550475 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 Sheffield.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
Sheffield has 1.8 jobs for every working resident, and 757 people commute in
Most working residents leave Sheffield for work: only 15% work in town. Sheffield’s median household income is $54,000, below both Iowa’s towns ($69,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Since 2013, Sheffield has added 80 jobs, to 824 in 2023.
15%work in town
| Sheffield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.8% | 8.5% | 11% |
Where working residents work
In Sheffield15%
Hampton14%
Mason City11%
Iowa Falls6%
Ackley3%
20 mi
median commute distance
824
jobs based in Sheffield
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
B+
Walkability grade: more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
SchoolsC−
Public schools in Sheffield fall behind 78% of Iowa districts
Its public schools are run by the West Fork Community School District. Its two schools are below.
22%of IA districts it outscoresC−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Fork Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 161 | C− |
| West Fork High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 191 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade A
Homes in Sheffield are worth about $177K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Sheffield home is worth about $177,000, up 6.2% in a year, 25% below the Iowa typical home.
$177KZillow home value
Typical home value
Sheffield$177K
Iowa$237K
+6.2%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Sheffield
Sheffield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Sheffield’s July high is 83°F, against 84°F in Iowa’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns.
44″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–28°
Spring36–57°
Summer60–81°
Fall38–60°
Oct 9
typical first frost
Apr 29
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB−
Residents of Sheffield are less healthy than 53% of U.S. towns
Sheffield beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 19% of Sheffield adults binge drink.
47%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
| Sheffield | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Iowa
1 better26 too close to call5 worse
| What stands out | Sheffield | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.6% | 11.6% |
Franklin General Hospital
10.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Moderate risk in Sheffield, with drought at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2010, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sheffield.
47risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingCold waves
2
paid flood claims since 2010
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 3,561 acres
2.4 mi
of trails · 0.4 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sheffield Swimming Pool Park | — | 28 |
| 2. Galvin Memorial Park | — | 10 |
| 3. Sheffield City Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sheffield
19pages on Sheffield
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sheffield; the nearest are
North Iowa Area Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Mason City19 mi$6,653 in-state tuitionUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity or college · Public · Cedar Falls46 mi$9,936 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Sheffield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
A job hub
Every workday, about 757 people come to Sheffield for work
Where Sheffield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
824jobs based in Sheffield
15%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Sheffield
City in Iowa, USA
Sheffield is a city in Franklin County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,130 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1876
- Area
- 5.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,076 ft
- ZIP code
- 50475
Questions about Sheffield
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sheffield, IA a good place to live?
64% more nonprofits per person than the typical Iowa town.
Is Sheffield, IA expensive?
Not for the area. That is 3 years of the area's median household income ($59,894 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.