Sheldon ranks #5 in Iowa for graduation rate
Sheldon is ranked on 38 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 2.
Shorter growing season than 100% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Sheldon’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Sheldon does best on
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Sheldon marked.
1 spot from the top 25 for public schools
Lists where Sheldon sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Sheldon lands in the top half on 8 of 24 lists
Each dot is Sheldon’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Sheldon does best come first.
Every IA list, and where Sheldon lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#51 Health
Healthiest#1 Solon · 95 / 100
#85
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#44
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#84
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#84
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#103
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#60
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#116 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Coralville · 12.9 per resident
#42
Most library borrowing#1 Orange City · 18.6 per resident
#27
Best libraries for kids#1 Ames · 53.4 per child
#20 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#84
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#80
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#62
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#103
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#70
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#31
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
#14 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Polk City · 65.8%
#109
Most trails#1 Asbury · 2.5 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Sibley · 100 / sq mi
#89 
The number on the right is Sheldon’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.