Sheldon, IA: Local News, Events & Neighbors

Sheldon is a city in O'Brien and Sioux counties in the U.S. state of Iowa, along the Floyd River. The population was 5,512 at the time of the 2020 census; it is the largest city in O'Brien County.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

How Sheldon ranks

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#5Highest graduation rate in IA #26Best schools in IA #51Shortest commute in IA All IA rankings →

Town numbers

ZIP code51201

Area code712

Living in Sheldon

Housing in Sheldon

$229K▲ 8% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Sheldon home is worth about $229,000, up 8% in a year, close to the Iowa typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Sheldon

B⁻

Safety Grade B-

Sheldon reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 54% report less.

Violent crime per 1,000

Sheldon 3.2

Iowa 2.4

U.S. 3.3

Property crime per 1,000

Sheldon 3.4

Iowa 12

U.S. 15.5

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Sheldon

Compared with Iowa

2worse than IA

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 30 are too close to call.

Conditions all close Habits all close Care 2▼ 5 close Mind all close Everyday needs all close

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

9.4%More uninsured adultsIA 7.3% · worse 62.1%Fewer adults seeing a dentistIA 66.8% · worse

Care nearby

Sanford Sheldon Medical CenterSheldon · 0.5 mi · ER · rural critical access

Greater Sioux Community Health CenterSioux Center · 18.1 mi · sliding-scale fees

Primary careNo shortage

DentalNo shortage

Mental healthShortage · county-wide

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Sheldon · CMS · HRSAHealth in Sheldon →

Schools in Sheldon

All Sheldon schools →

A⁻

School Grade A-

The public schools Sheldon’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 82% of Iowa’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.

#26Best public schoolsof 139 in IA

DistrictSheldon Comm School DistrictSchools6

East Elementary School AElementary · Grades PK–4 · 468 students Sheldon Christian SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 106 students St. Patrick Elementary SchoolElementary · Grades PK–8 · 51 students Sheldon Middle School B+Middle · Grades 5–8 · 312 students Sheldon High School A-High · Grades 9–12 · 356 students Little Orabs PreschoolPrekindergarten · Grades PK · 43 students

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within IA. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from SheldonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Sheldon.Meet them →

Where Sheldon is

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Locator map of Sheldon — Wikimedia Commons · Map: Arkyan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Location map

Iowa · IATown boundary on OpenStreetMap →

Nearby towns

Matlock6 mi Archer7 mi Hospers8 mi Boyden8 mi Ashton9 mi Sanborn9 mi Primghar13 mi Granville14 mi George14 mi Melvin14 mi

How things work in Sheldon

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