Marion ranks #3 in Iowa for health insurance
Marion is ranked on 40 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 13.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Marion marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for working from home
Lists where Marion sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Marion lands in the top half on 18 of 26 lists
Each dot is Marion’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Marion does best come first.
Wetter than 75% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Marion’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Marion 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 Marion 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
#22
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#16
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#20
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#17
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#3
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#127
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#30 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Coralville · 12.9 per resident
#31
Most library borrowing#1 Orange City · 18.6 per resident
#11
Best libraries for kids#1 Ames · 53.4 per child
#12 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#47
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
#53
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#18 People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#35
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#97
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#46
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#84
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#50 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#75
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#40
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#63
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
#21 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#80 
The number on the right is Marion’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.