Fairfield ranks #2 in Iowa for working from home
Fairfield is ranked on 37 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 4.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Fairfield marked.
Less snow than 99% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Fairfield’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Fairfield lands in the top half on 13 of 23 lists
Each dot is Fairfield’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Fairfield does best come first.
3 spots from the top 10 for college degrees
Lists where Fairfield sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Where Fairfield 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.
People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#13
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#87
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#55
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#6
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#140 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#16 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#39
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#30
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#35 
Health
Healthiest#1 Solon · 95 / 100
#100
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#141
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%
#60
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#135 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#55
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#63
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#71
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
#44 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#32
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#116
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#69
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
The number on the right is Fairfield’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.