Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,345, platted in 1840. Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
Trash day: FridayYes, by almost any measure. Solon earns an A+, ranked 11th of 140 in Iowa. The median household earns $113K, its schools rank ahead of 95% of Iowa towns, and it is healthier than 95% of U.S. towns. The exception is hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 71% of U.S. communities, with tornadoes at the top. On cost of living, just 16 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. Solon is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. Only 12 of Iowa’s 276 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Solon beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeview Elementary | PK–3 | 490 |
| Solon Intermediate | 4–5 | 196 |
| Solon Middle School | 6–8 | 320 |
| Widest gap | Solon | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 12% |
2,037 counted in 2010 and 3,018 in 2020; an estimated 3,345 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 10.5% since 2020, after 48.2% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Solon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 383 in 1880, 3,018 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 2 maps from 1891 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Solon. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
12 mi MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
10 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
12 mi National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
14 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
10 mi MuseumUniversity of Iowa Stanley Museum of ArtKinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Solon, 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 Solon.
Solon is the healthiest town in Iowa and has schools in the top 5% of Iowa, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Iowa (mostly tornadoes).
At 6 years of the Iowa City metro’s $75K median household income, the typical home (about $450K) costs more against local pay than in any other Iowa town; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. 59.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 43.9% across Iowa.
The typical Solon home is worth about $450,000, up 2.4% in a year, 90% above the Iowa typical home. 79% of Solon households own their home, above both the Iowa town median (70%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%).
| Solon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,127 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #6 of the 140 Iowa towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Solon Community School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Solon High School, with 471 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 490 | A |
| Solon High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 471 | A+ |
| Solon Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 320 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
It is the healthiest of the 140 Iowa towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Iowa is food insecurity: 6.7% of its 2,106 adults worry about having enough food, against 12% statewide.
17% of Solon adults get no exercise outside work, against 26% in Iowa’s towns and 25% across U.S. towns. 23% of Solon adults binge drink. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Solon.
| Solon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 26% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Solon | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.7% | 12% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.8% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.0 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Solon Recreation and Nature Area, at 56 acres.
| Solon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.3% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Solon Recreation and Nature Area | 0.6 mi | 56 |
| 2. Randall Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Legion Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 695 in 2013 to 925.
Most working residents leave Solon for work: only 9% work in town. 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Solon. Jobs based in Solon grew to 925 in 2023, 230 more than in 2013.
| Solon | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 8.7% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Iowa towns; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
One flood insurance claim has been paid in Solon since 2016.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Solon has cold winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 12° and about 29 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4 within 15 miles of the center of Solon
About 5 of every 100 Solon residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Iowa.
8.3% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
6 notable people were born in Solon.
City in Iowa, United States
Solon is a city located in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. Part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, it is located a few miles from Lake MacBride State Park and the larger cities of Coralville and Iowa City. The population was 3,018 at the time of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Solon grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #11 of 140 in Iowa. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 6 years of the area's median household income ($75,088 across the Iowa City, 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 C.
Solon was platted in 1840 and has 1 place on the National Register of Historic Places. 6 notable people were born here, including Leo Beranek and Tyler Linderbaum.
