Howard County, Iowa
Population 9,445 · Cresco, Elma, Lime Springs
- Overall cost of living: −15.9% vs the US average, lower than 87% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- January low: 6°F, lower than 93% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−15.9% | lower than 87% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of Iowa outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $147,800 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Median rent | $713 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $159/mo | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $6,862/yr | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.25% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,853 | higher than 59% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $67,446 | higher than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +2.1% | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 353.4 | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈195 days | lower than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 81°F | lower than 86% of US counties |
| January low | 6°F | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 40 in | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 8 days | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 170 days | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 6.2% of weeks | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.8°F | lower than 59% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 37.2 in | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $116/yr | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $87/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.17/yr | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $17/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.08/yr | lower than 72% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.8 µg/m³ | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 221.3 mi | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈241.6 ft | lower than 80% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.5% | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 19.5% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 3.9% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 2 | lower than 49% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.3:1 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 92.1% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.12 | higher than 61% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.82 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.25 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.1 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 52/100k | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 76.7 yrs | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 7.4% | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 75/100k | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 21/100k | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 76.5% | higher than 70% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 53 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 53 min | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 85.7% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 10% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 156 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 26 per sq mi | higher than 55% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 0.6 per 1k | lower than 89% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 3.1 per 1k | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Population | 9,445 | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.2 | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -2.9 per 1k/yr | lower than 76% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 33.5% Dem | higher than 62% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 65.3% Rep | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.3% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| % White | 93% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 3.3% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Black | 0.8% | lower than 68% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.1% | lower than 86% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 48 parks | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 12.7 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.2 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.1% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 20 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 6 | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 38 km | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 4 km | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 28 | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 10 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 6 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 26 km | higher than 63% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data