Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,978, settled in 1869. Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
Trash day: MondayThe best of Van Meter’s subject grades are an A+ for schools, safety, and incomes; the weakest is a C− for walkability. 33% of residents are under 18 in Van Meter, where Iowa’s towns sit at 23% and U.S. towns at 22%. Only 3 of Iowa’s 276 towns score higher on health. Robert William Andrew Feller Farmstead is on the National Register of Historic Places. Van Meter has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Van Meter beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Van Meter Elementary School | PK–5 | 578 |
| Van Meter Middle School | 6–8 | 252 |
| Van Meter High School | 9–12 | 316 |
| Widest gap | Van Meter | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 12% |
1,016 counted in 2010 and 1,484 in 2020; an estimated 1,978 in 2025.
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 Van Meter is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 376 in 1880, 1,484 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 3 maps from 1908 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Van Meter, 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 Van Meter.
93% of Van Meter households own their home, against 70% in Iowa’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. The typical Van Meter home is worth about $424,000, up 1.2% in a year, 79% above the Iowa typical home.
| Van Meter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,063 a month | $911 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Van Meter Community School District. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Van Meter High School, with 316 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Meter Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 578 | A+ |
| Van Meter High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 316 | A+ |
| Van Meter Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 252 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Van Meter is 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Van Meter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 7.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
9.5% of Van Meter adults report frequent physical distress. Of the 141 Iowa towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Van Meter. 11% of Van Meter adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Van Meter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.7% | 12% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Van Meter | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.5% | 12% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.7% | 11.6% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 73.9% | 77.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Van Meter for work: only 2% work in town. Van Meter’s median household income is $135,000. Since 2013, Van Meter has added 217 jobs, to 422 in 2023.
| Van Meter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $135,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.7% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 2.6% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Van Meter has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 37 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. Since 2025, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Van Meter.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.1 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Van Meter Recreation Complex, at 53 acres.
| Van Meter | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Van Meter Recreation Complex | 0.5 mi | 53 |
| 2. Trindle Park | 0.1 mi | 24 |
| 3. Johnson Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Van Meter. Close and well known come first.
17 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
18 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol25 mi Theme parkAdventureland
14 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
17 mi Zoo & aquariumBlank Park Zoo
16 mi Stadium & arenaDrake StadiumCasey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blank Park Zoo: Lawrence Lansing, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Van Meter
About 3 of every 100 Van Meter residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where Van Meter’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Van Meter.
City in Iowa, United States
Van Meter is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, situated along the Raccoon River. The population was 1,484 at the time of the 2020 census. Van Meter is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Van Meter.
Van Meter has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Van Meter with a neighbor →
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 B+.
3 notable people were born here, including Bob Feller and David Young.
