Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
The best of State Center’s subject grades are an A for schools and history and an A− for cost of living. State Center’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, above both Iowa’s towns (19 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). State Center has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dobbin Round Barn and Watson's Grocery. State Center has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where State Center beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| West Marshall Elementary School | PK–5 | 412 |
| West Marshall Middle School | 6–8 | 213 |
| West Marshall High School | 9–12 | 292 |
Watson's GroceryIn 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 State Center is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in State Center, 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 State Center.
Its public schools are run by the West Marshall Community School District. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Marshall Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 412 | B− |
| West Marshall High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 292 | A |
| West Marshall Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 213 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave State Center for work: only 10% work in town. 4.9% of State Center residents live below the poverty line, where Iowa’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The top destinations are Marshalltown (19%), Ames (13%) and Des Moines (5%).
| State Center | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 9.7% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $84,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical State Center home is worth about $298,000, up 22.2% in a year, 26% above the Iowa typical home. State Center’s median rent is $766 a month.
| State Center | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $766 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
State Center has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 11° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. 33% of State Center adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| State Center | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 25% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
| Median age | 40.7 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.7 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| State Center | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.5% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 13% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.4% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.3% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.9% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.8% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.4% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.2% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,400, single groups can be off by several points
State Center beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 43% of adults have obesity in State Center. Only 6 of the 141 Iowa towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than State Center.
| State Center | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 80% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | State Center | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brookside Park | — | 6 |
| 2. Kaufman City Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Rose Garden of State Center | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of State Center
About 1 of every 100 State Center residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where State Center’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Iowa, United States
State Center is a city in Marshall County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,391 at the time of the 2020 census. State Center is known as the Rose Capital of Iowa.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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−.