Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Winterset is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades A overall, 33rd among Iowa's 140 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 72% of the state's. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 70% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $290K, 3.4 years of the Des Moines metro’s $86K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 32 places on the National Register. Only 3 of Iowa’s 276 towns score higher on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Madison County Courthouse and Hogback Covered Bridge. Winterset's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Winterset beats most towns.
Madison County Courthouse
Census counts: 915 in 1860, 5,353 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1856 and 2 maps from 1952 on.
24 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Winterset is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Winterset, 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 Winterset.
Winterset is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Des Moines and other neighbors.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Winterset since 1998.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Winterset Community School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Winterset Senior High School, with 530 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winterset Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 488 | C+ |
| Winterset Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 530 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
Against the 10,301 U.S. towns with household incomes like Winterset’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of Winterset adults binge drink, above both the Iowa town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (16%). 31% of Winterset adults sleep under 7 hours. Winterset beats the Iowa average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Winterset | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Winterset | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 12% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Winterset home is worth about $290,000, up 1% in a year, 22% above the Iowa typical home. 65% of Winterset households own their home, where Iowa’s towns sit at 70% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Winterset | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,095 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Winterset has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Winterset has about as many jobs (2,195) as working residents, but only 631 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Winterset’s working residents works in town. Winterset’s average trip to work is 24 minutes. The top destinations are Des Moines (13%), West Des Moines (12%) and Urbandale (4%).
| Winterset | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Winterset's reported crime rate is below Iowa's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 11 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
| Winterset | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 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
26% of residents are under 18 in Winterset. Winterset has grown 2.9% since 2020, to 5,520 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of residents are 65 or older in Winterset.
| Winterset | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 37.5 years | 38.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 25% | 29% |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Iowa, 49.8% of residents are women.
| Winterset | IA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.9% | 12.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 10.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 12.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.7% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 7.6% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 10.6% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.4% | 6.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.6% | 30% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.9% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 12.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.5% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.6% | 10.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
0.4 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Winterset City Park, at 86 acres. The trail density in Winterset is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Winterset | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.9% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Winterset City Park | 0.2 mi | 86 |
| 2. Middle River Park | 0.2 mi | 71 |
| 3. Giffin Fields | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Winterset; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Winterset residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
24 places in Winterset on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Winterset.
City in Iowa, United States
Winterset is a city in the county seat of Madison County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,353 at the time of the 2020 census. Located in rolling farmland 35 miles south of Des Moines, Winterset is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. It is known most notably for being the birthplace of actor John Wayne.
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. Winterset grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #33 of 140 in Iowa. It grades B+ for health 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.
10 notable people were born here, including John Wayne and Fred Clarke.
