Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Branch gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $302K for a typical one, or 3.7 years of the county’s $81K median household income. It grades A− overall, 35th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. On the plus side, the median household earns $92K. West Branch’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, against 0.3 in Iowa’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. West Branch's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. Only 6 of Iowa’s 276 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where West Branch beats most towns.
8.8% of the town is conserved land, across 6 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far West Branch is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 501 in 1880, 2,509 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1877 and 2 maps from 1894 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Branch, 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 West Branch.
West Branch is one of Iowa’s best towns for the outdoors, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Its A for the outdoors ranks #3 of 140 in Iowa.
West Branch sits where Iowa’s towns sit at 3.1% and U.S. towns at 4.3% on this measure. 4.2 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 141 acres with 3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herbert Hoover National Historic Site | 3 mi | 141 |
| 2. Cubby Park | 0.5 mi | 20 |
| 3. Beranek Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the West Branch Community School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 353 | C− |
| West Branch High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 273 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Jobs based here fell from 1,170 in 2013 to 842.
Most working residents leave West Branch for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, West Branch has lost 328 jobs, to 842 in 2023. 6.4% of West Branch residents live below the poverty line.
| West Branch | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.1% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
82% of households own their home in West Branch. Typical home values rose 4.5% in the year to September 2026.
| West Branch | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,053 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
West Branch beats the Iowa average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| West Branch | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | West Branch | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults seeing a dentist | 73.6% | 66.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Branch has cold winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 13° and about 28 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Branch.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Iowa average. West Branch has grown 18% since 2020, to 2,956 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. West Branch’s median age is 36.7 years.
| West Branch | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.7 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 25% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 19% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| West Branch | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 18.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.1% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.6% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 18% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.5% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.9% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Branch. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Stadium & arenaKinnick Stadium
in town MuseumHerbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
in town National Historic SiteHerbert Hoover National Historic Site107K visitors a year
11 mi Stadium & arenaCarver–Hawkeye Arena
26 mi MuseumNational Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
10 mi MuseumUniversity of Iowa Stanley Museum of ArtKinnick Stadium: Count_de_Des_Moines (talk) (Uploads), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum: Shadow2700, Public domain · Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: Billwhittaker, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Carver–Hawkeye Arena: Asolsma1988, CC0 · National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: ArtisticAbode, CC BY-SA 3.0 · University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art: w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of West Branch
About 2 of every 100 West Branch residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
Where West Branch’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in West Branch on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Iowa, United States
West Branch is a city in Cedar and Johnson counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,509 as of the 2020 census. It is the birthplace of the only American president born in Iowa, Herbert Hoover. The Johnson County portion of West Branch is part of the Iowa City metropolitan area.
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. West Branch grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #35 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
2 notable people were born here, including David Johnson and Marv Cook.
