Johnston is #1 in Iowa for fewest smokers
Johnston is ranked on 40 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 8 and the top quarter on 16.
Johnston is on Iowa’s podium 3 times
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Johnston marked.
More kids than 96% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Johnston’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for growth
Lists where Johnston sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Johnston lands in the top half on 19 of 26 lists
Each dot is Johnston’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Johnston does best come first.
Johnston out-ranks 0 of its 2 ranked neighbors
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 Johnston 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
#9
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#16
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#1
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#12
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#3
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#60
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#87 People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#7
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#49
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#94
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#108
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#6 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#8
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#9
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#110 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#52
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#29
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#77
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
#24 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Coralville · 12.9 per resident
#23
Most library borrowing#1 Orange City · 18.6 per resident
#9
Best libraries for kids#1 Ames · 53.4 per child
#17 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#89 
The number on the right is Johnston’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.