Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Vinton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $240K for a typical one, or 3.1 years of the Cedar Rapids metro’s $78K median household income. It grades A− overall, 48th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 79% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. On the plus side, its schools outperform 76% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. No town in Iowa scores higher than Vinton on history. Vinton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns. Vinton is more walkable than 83% of U.S. towns.
Where Vinton beats most towns.
Benton County Courthouse| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Tilford Elementary School | PK–4 | 544 |
| Vinton-Shellsburg Middle School | 6–8 | 331 |
| Vinton-Shellsburg High School | 9–12 | 414 |
Census counts: 2,460 in 1870, 4,938 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 2 maps from 1971 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Vinton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Vinton, 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 Vinton.
Vinton pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Iowa (mostly inland flooding).
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $240K.
Its public schools are run by the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Vinton-Shellsburg High School, with 414 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilford Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 544 | B+ |
| Vinton-Shellsburg High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 414 | A− |
| Vinton-Shellsburg Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 331 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Iowa towns, with expected losses of about $631 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1982, 63 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vinton. Among 140 Iowa towns, just 5 have a higher FEMA risk score than Vinton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Vinton’s property crime rate is 2.6 per 1,000 residents, where Iowa’s towns sit at 7.4 and U.S. towns at 9.9.
| Vinton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (18% statewide). Vinton’s median age is 44.7 years, above both Iowa’s towns (38.7 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Iowa.
| Vinton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44.7 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 23% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
About 85 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±4.1 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Vinton | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.7% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.9% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.7% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.7% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 13% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.6% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.2% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.4% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Vinton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 10° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Vinton has about as many jobs (1,822) as working residents, but only 559 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Vinton’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Vinton is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Vinton has lost 119 jobs, to 1,822 in 2023.
| Vinton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 26% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,144 U.S. towns with household incomes like Vinton’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Vinton beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 41% of adults have obesity in Vinton.
| Vinton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Vinton | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Vinton’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Vinton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cedar Bend Park | — | 17 |
| 2. Riverside Park | — | 16 |
| 3. Kiwanis Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $240K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
Typical home values rose 8.8% in the year to September 2026. 80% of Vinton households own their home.
| Vinton | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $942 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Vinton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Vinton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
6 places in Vinton on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Vinton.
City in Iowa, United States
Vinton is a city in Benton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,938 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 5,102 in 2000. It is also part of the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area. Vinton is the county seat of Benton County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Vinton grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #48 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B− for health, B+ for safety and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
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+.
12 notable people were born here, including Bruce Charles Heezen and Bing Miller.
