Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Washington gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $196K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the Iowa City metro’s $75K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 120th of 140 in Iowa. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its public schools trail 91% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 13 places on the National Register. On history, just 1 of Iowa’s 276 towns do better. 31% of working residents work locally in Washington, near the Iowa town median (31%) and above the median of U.S. towns (8%). The biggest park or preserve is Washington County Fair, at 47 acres.
Where Washington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Blair House| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Stewart Elementary School | PK–2 | 457 |
| Lincoln Upper Elementary School | 3–5 | 344 |
| St. James School | PK–5 | 120 |
Census counts: 2,575 in 1870, 7,352 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 2 maps from 1969 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Washington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Washington, 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 Washington.
Washington trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Iowa.
Its public schools are run by the Washington Community School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Washington High School, with 452 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 457 | – |
| Washington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 452 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
3.4 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Washington is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hayes Timber | 0.9 mi | 34 |
| 2. Washington County Fair | — | 47 |
| 3. Sunset Park | 0.2 mi | 39 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 207 to 111 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Washington’s violent crime rate is 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 7,532 U.S. towns with household incomes like Washington’s, it is less healthy than 51%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Washington beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Washington.
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 18% | 19% |
| What stands out | Washington | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.1% | 77.8% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.8% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 13.5°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 82% of Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 84.7°.
Washington has cold winters and warm summers. About 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $196K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles.
The typical Washington home is worth about $196,000, up 4% in a year, 17% below the Iowa typical home. 63% of Washington households own their home.
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $968 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 3 of Washington’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Washington has lost 269 jobs, to 3,360 in 2023. The top destinations are Iowa City (12%), Cedar Rapids (4%) and Mount Pleasant (3%).
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 5.8% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Washington | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.5 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Washington | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.6% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.4% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.2% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.7% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.1% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.5% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
None within 15 miles of Washington; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Washington residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
13 places in Washington on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Washington.
City in Iowa, United States
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City metropolitan area. The population was 7,352 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.
Washington grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #120 of 140 in Iowa. It grades C for health, C for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Margaret Hoard and Charles Almon Dewey.
