Waukee is #1 in Iowa for fewest smokers
Waukee is ranked on 40 lists against the 143 Iowa towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 12 and the top quarter on 15.
Waukee is on Iowa’s podium 4 times
Each list ranks every IA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Waukee marked.
Fewer seniors than 95% of Iowa
Not better or worse, just Waukee’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for growth
Lists where Waukee sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Waukee lands in the top half on 18 of 26 lists
Each dot is Waukee’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in IA, the right end is last. Areas where Waukee does best come first.
Waukee 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 Waukee 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
#4
Lowest obesity#1 Solon · 29%
#9
Fewest smokers#1 North Liberty · 10%
#1
Most active#1 North Liberty · 15%
#6
Fewest uninsured#1 Robins · 4%
#3
Lowest depression#1 West Liberty · 17%
#16
Closest to a top hospital#1 Spencer · 0.5 mi
#117 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Clear Lake · 18.8%
#76
Most new homes#1 Tiffin · 41.1 per 1,000
#2
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Sibley · +84.5%
#116
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Tama · 11.0 per home
#35 
People
Most educated#1 Ames · 65.8%
#6
Youngest#1 Postville · 23.2
#22
Oldest#1 Jefferson · 53.6
#122
Most residents 65+#1 Jefferson · 31.5%
#136
Most kids#1 Postville · 39.6%
#29 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Coralville · 12.9 per resident
#24
Most library borrowing#1 Orange City · 18.6 per resident
#13
Best libraries for kids#1 Ames · 53.4 per child
#8 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Chariton · 1.1 yrs
#138
Cheapest rent#1 Emmetsburg · $624/mo
#136
Lowest property tax#1 Fort Madison · $1,420/yr
#137
Rent easiest to afford#1 Grimes · 27.9%
#4 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Storm Lake · 10.1 min
#91 
The number on the right is Waukee’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.