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Sergeant Bluff vs Adel

132 miles apart. The biggest differences: growth since 2010 (+48.5 pts in Adel) and work from home (+10.5 pts in Adel).

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Sergeant Bluff, IAKnown for its schoolsIowa · 5,171 people
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Adel, IAKnown for its schoolsIowa · 6,430 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

Sergeant BluffKnown for its schools
Schools#27 for schools in IAof 139 towns HealthHealthier than 82%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Housing$362K typical home51% above the IA typical home All about Sergeant Bluff →
AdelKnown for its schools
Schools#10 for schools in IAof 139 towns Housing$401K typical home67% above the IA typical home HealthHealthier than 82%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Adel →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Growth since 2010+48.5 pts
Adel has grown faster since 2010
Adel +67.1%Sergeant Bluff +18.6%
Work from home+10.5 pts
More people work from home in Adel
Adel 15.8%Sergeant Bluff 5.3%
Average commute8 min
Sergeant Bluff has the shorter commute
Adel 22 minSergeant Bluff 13 min
Property tax bill+18%
Tax bills are bigger in Adel
Adel $4,217Sergeant Bluff $3,561
Street grid+46%
Sergeant Bluff has the more walkable street grid
Sergeant Bluff 67.4Adel 46.3
Homeowners+8 pts renters
Adel has more renters
Sergeant Bluff 73.2%Adel 65.2%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $270 more a month in Adel

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Sergeant Bluff$2,260/mo
Typical home $362K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.19% · or rent about $1,156/mo · Housing →
Adel$2,530/mo
Typical home $401K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.29% · or rent about $926/mo · Housing →

The difference: $270 a month, about $3,300 a year, between Adel and Sergeant Bluff.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Adel places higher on 9 of 20 IA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Iowa ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–Sergeant BluffNot graded B+AdelSafer than 70% of U.S. towns
Schools
ASergeant BluffBetter than 85% of districts in the state AAdelBetter than 89% of districts in the state
Health
A−Sergeant BluffHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns A−AdelHealthier than 82% of U.S. towns
8Sergeant Bluff
9Adel

Lists won, of 20 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Shortest commuteGetting around · 143 towns #18#106 Most remote workersWork · 143 towns #109#23 Most walkableOutdoors · 143 towns #42#97 Lowest depressionHealth · 143 towns #16#60 Cheapest rentCost of living · 140 towns #121#78 Most new homesHousing · 138 towns #39#12 Most conserved landOutdoors · 138 towns #83#56 Highest incomeIncome · 143 towns #5#26

Left end = #1 in Iowa. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Sergeant Bluff’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Sergeant BluffAdel
Snow a year36″25″
January low10°F12°F
July high85°F86°F
Growing season (days)159d173d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)31st64th
Outdoors & history
Sergeant BluffAdel
Trails1 mi1 mi
Conserved land2.5%4.5%
Settled—1847
National Register places—4
Community
Sergeant BluffAdel
Library hours a week47 hrs45 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

132 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Sergeant BluffIAAdelIA
Sergeant Bluff ↔ Adel132 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Sergeant BluffAdel
People
Population 5,171Lowest 6,430Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +18.6%Lowest IA: +4.7% +67.1%Highest IA: +4.7%
Median age 36.9±5.9Highest 4% below IA 36.5±1.6Lowest 5% below IA
Sergeant Bluff and Adel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 27.7%±5.6Lowest IA: 22.9% 30.4%±5.2Highest IA: 22.9%
Adel and Sergeant Bluff are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 12.5%±3Highest IA: 18.1% 12.3%±2.9Lowest IA: 18.1%
Sergeant Bluff and Adel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 36.7%Lowest IA: 31.4% 37.9%Highest IA: 31.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 4.1%±2.7Highest IA: 6.2% 3.6%±2.1Lowest IA: 6.2%
Sergeant Bluff and Adel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $123,481±$15kHighest 65% above IA $95,250±$23kLowest 27% above IA
Sergeant Bluff and Adel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $298,500±$26kLowest 44% above IA $327,900±$27kHighest 58% above IA
Adel and Sergeant Bluff are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,156±$211Highest 19% above IA $926±$195Lowest 5% below IA
Sergeant Bluff and Adel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,561Lowest 23% above IA $4,217Highest 46% above IA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 30.4%±18.7Lowest IA: 43.9% 47%±18.6Highest IA: 43.9%
Adel and Sergeant Bluff are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 9.5%Highest IA: 11.1% 7.2%Lowest IA: 11.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 73.2%Highest IA: 71.7% 65.2%Lowest IA: 71.7%
Typical home builtmedian year 1996Highest 24 yrs newer than IA 1992Lowest 20 yrs newer than IA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 13 minLowest 32% below IA 22 minHighest 10% above IA
Work from home 5.3%±4.1Lowest IA: 11.3% 15.8%±4.2Highest IA: 11.3%
Work in townworking residents 12.9%Highest 11.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 6.8 miLowest 14.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.71Highest 0.70Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Sioux City (47%)West Des Moines (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in AdelFew work in Sergeant Bluff
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 2.5%Lowest 4.5%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 0.7 miLowest 0.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 8Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 67.4Highest 46.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #27 of 139 in IA#10 of 139 in IA
School district Sergeant Bluff-Luton Comm School DistrictAdel DeSoto Minburn Comm School District
High school in town Sergeant Bluff-Luton Senior High SchoolADM Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school 16.7Highest 15.5Lowest
Iowa average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Sergeant Bluff neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Sergeant Bluff’s Town Square.

Adel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Adel’s Town Square.

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Bordering Sergeant Bluff

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Sioux City86,101 people · $174K homes

Towns like Sergeant Bluff

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Le Claire4,735 people · $319K homes
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DeWitt5,546 people · $237K homes
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Solon3,152 people · $309K homes
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Story City3,398 people · $216K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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