Robins is #1 in Iowa for health insurance
Robins is ranked on 28 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 6 and the top quarter on 9.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Robins marked.
2 spots from the top 3 for college degrees
Lists where Robins sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Robins lands in the top half on 12 of 19 lists
Each dot is Robins’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Robins does best come first.
Older than 94% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Robins’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Robins 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.
Every IA list, and where Robins lands
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
#14
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#16
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#8
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#6
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#1
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#111
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#33 People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#5
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#135
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#9
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#119
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#12 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#38 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#127
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#52
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#114
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#142
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#92
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#138
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#122
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#140 Climate
Snowiest#1 Mason City · 44 in
#53
Least snow#1 Fort Madison · 18 in
#87
Mildest winters#1 Keokuk · 17.6°
Hottest summers#1 Council Bluffs · 86.6°
Coolest summers#1 Waukon · 81.1°
Longest growing season#1 Keokuk · 198 days
#56
Wettest#1 Keokuk · 40 in
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Coralville · 12.9 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Orange City · 18.6 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Ames · 53.4 per child
Safety
Safest#1 Rock Valley · 2.3
The number on the right is Robins’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.