Eldridge is #1 in Iowa for fewest smokers
Eldridge is ranked on 35 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 5 and the top quarter on 12.
Eldridge is on Iowa’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Eldridge marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for college degrees
Lists where Eldridge sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Eldridge lands in the top half on 14 of 21 lists
Each dot is Eldridge’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Eldridge does best come first.
More kids than 91% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Eldridge’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Eldridge out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Eldridge 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.
Health
Healthiest#1 Solon · 95 / 100
#8
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#44
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#1
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#6
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#1
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#16
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#95 People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#11
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#122
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#22
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#77
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#14 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#94
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#27
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#98
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
#37 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#84 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#139
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#86
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#115
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#128
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#139 
The number on the right is Eldridge’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.