Carroll makes Iowa’s top 10 on 2 lists
Carroll is ranked on 36 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 5.
The lists Carroll does best on
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Carroll marked.
2 spots from the top 3 for graduation rate
Lists where Carroll sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Carroll lands in the top half on 13 of 23 lists
Each dot is Carroll’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Carroll does best come first.
More seniors than 91% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Carroll’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Carroll lands in every IA ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#7 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#80
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#12
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#55
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
#17 Health
Healthiest#1 Solon · 95 / 100
#84
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#88
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#60
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#84
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#51
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#16
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#139 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#73
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#48
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#19 
People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#63
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#128
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#16
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#14
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#94 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#85
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#92
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#109
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
The number on the right is Carroll’s spot. All of Iowa’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every IA list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.