Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
St. Ansgar’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and an A for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 5 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on hazard risk. St. Ansgar is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a lower July high than St. Ansgar. Only 18 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on the outdoors. St. Ansgar has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them First Lutheran Church and Saint Ansgar Public School. St. Ansgar has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where St. Ansgar beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| St Ansgar Elementary School | PK–5 | 345 |
| St Ansgar Middle School | 6–8 | 132 |
| St Ansgar High School | 9–12 | 166 |
First Lutheran ChurchIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far St. Ansgar is from typical.
St.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 360 in 1870, 1,160 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in St. Ansgar, 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 St. Ansgar.
Its public schools are run by the St Ansgar Community School District. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Ansgar Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 345 | A |
| St Ansgar High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 166 | A |
| St Ansgar Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 132 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
St. Ansgar’s FEMA risk score is 82 of 100, above both the Iowa town median (40 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
St. Ansgar’s January low is 7°F, against 12°F in Iowa’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. Ansgar has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 5 of St. 20% of working residents work locally in St. Ansgar. Jobs based in St. Ansgar grew to 730 in 2023, 157 more than in 2013.
| St. Ansgar | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 11% | 8.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 25% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (23% statewide). 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| St. Ansgar | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 25% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| St. Ansgar | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.4% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.4% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.8% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.4% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
19% of St. Ansgar adults have been diagnosed with depression. Ansgar beats the Iowa average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 38% of St. Ansgar adults have high blood pressure.
| St. Ansgar | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| What stands out | St. Ansgar | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.6% | 77.8% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 86.6% | 84.1% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15.2% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical St. Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026.
| St. Ansgar | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $912 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clausen City Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of St. Ansgar; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 St. Ansgar residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Iowa, United States
St. Ansgar or Saint Ansgar is a city in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,160 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
St. Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
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.