Sergeant Bluff makes Iowa’s top 10 on 2 lists
Sergeant Bluff is ranked on 37 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 11.
Drier than 96% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Sergeant Bluff’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Sergeant Bluff does best on
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Sergeant Bluff marked.
2 spots from the top 3 for household income
Lists where Sergeant Bluff sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Sergeant Bluff lands in the top half on 14 of 23 lists
Each dot is Sergeant Bluff’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Sergeant Bluff does best come first.
Sergeant Bluff 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 Sergeant Bluff 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
#24
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#34
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#20
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#25
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#23
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#16
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#142 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#18 
People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#38
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#45
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#99
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#128
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#22 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#106
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#39
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#82
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
#28 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#83
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#42 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#123
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#121
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#105
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Coralville · 12.9 per resident
#49
Most library borrowing#1 Orange City · 18.6 per resident
#51
Best libraries for kids#1 Ames · 53.4 per child
#48 Climate
Snowiest#1 Mason City · 44 in
#44
Least snow#1 Fort Madison · 18 in
#99
Mildest winters#1 Keokuk · 17.6°
#88
Hottest summers#1 Council Bluffs · 86.6°
#10
Coolest summers#1 Waukon · 81.1°
#133
Longest growing season#1 Keokuk · 198 days
#111
Wettest#1 Keokuk · 40 in
#136 Safety
Safest#1 Rock Valley · 2.3
The number on the right is Sergeant Bluff’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.