Osage makes Iowa’s top 10 on 4 lists
Osage is ranked on 34 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 4 and the top quarter on 7.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Osage marked.
Cooler summers than 97% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Osage’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 3 for walkable streets
Lists where Osage sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Osage lands in the top half on 15 of 21 lists
Each dot is Osage’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Osage does best come first.
Where Osage 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
#69
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#74
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#44
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#67
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#23
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#3
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#124 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#57
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#6
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#29
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#58 People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#66
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#126
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#18
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#12
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#126 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#136
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#5 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#13
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#71
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#19
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
The number on the right is Osage’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.