The Town Files

The 18 Best Small Towns for Families in Iowa

Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 99 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Iowa. #1 is Hudson, IA.

Map of the 18 towns123456789101112131415161718
Numbers match the ranking.
The 18 Best Small Towns for Families in Iowa1. Hudson97th pct2. Center Point94th pct3. Bondurant93rd pct4. Polk City93rd pct5. Jesup89th pct6. Grundy Center88th pct7. Huxley86th pct8. Dyersville85th pct9. Solon84th pct10. Rock Rapids82nd pct11. Robins81st pct12. Asbury80th pct13. Park View76th pct14. Bloomfield76th pct15. Rock Valley72nd pct16. West Branch68th pct17. Madrid67th pct18. Eldridge60th pct
  1. 18Eldridge, Iowa

    Better for families than 60% of Iowa towns

    6,726 people · Scott County · median home $350,500 · income $106,316 · Jan low 13°F · 33 in snow

  2. 17Madrid, Iowa

    Better for families than 67% of Iowa towns

    2,802 people · Boone County · median home $185,600 · income $89,844 · Jan low 12°F · 33 in snow

  3. 16West Branch, Iowa

    Better for families than 68% of Iowa towns

    2,509 people · Cedar County · median home $216,100 · income $92,209 · Jan low 12°F · 28 in snow

  4. 15Rock Valley, Iowa

    Better for families than 72% of Iowa towns

    4,059 people · Sioux County · median home $231,200 · income $76,250 · Jan low 9°F · 34 in snow

  5. 14Bloomfield, Iowa

    Better for families than 76% of Iowa towns

    2,682 people · Davis County · median home $132,000 · income $60,769 · Jan low 15°F · 24 in snow

  6. 13Park View, Iowa

    Better for families than 76% of Iowa towns

    2,709 people · Scott County · median home $276,000 · income $113,409 · Jan low 13°F · 29 in snow

  7. 12Asbury, Iowa

    Better for families than 80% of Iowa towns

    5,943 people · Dubuque County · median home $339,000 · income $124,957 · Jan low 10°F · 36 in snow

  8. 11Robins, Iowa

    Better for families than 81% of Iowa towns

    3,353 people · Linn County · median home $413,400 · income $122,262 · Jan low 13°F · 34 in snow

  9. 10Rock Rapids, Iowa

    Better for families than 82% of Iowa towns

    2,611 people · Lyon County · median home $206,700 · income $63,942 · Jan low 6°F · 35 in snow

  10. 9Solon, Iowa

    Better for families than 84% of Iowa towns

    3,018 people · Johnson County · median home $309,400 · income $113,295 · Jan low 15°F · 29 in snow

  11. 8Dyersville, Iowa

    Better for families than 85% of Iowa towns

    4,477 people · Dubuque County · median home $234,100 · income $83,559 · Jan low 11°F · 35 in snow

  12. 7Huxley, Iowa

    Better for families than 86% of Iowa towns

    4,244 people · Story County · median home $297,100 · income $112,094 · Jan low 10°F · 27 in snow

  13. 6Grundy Center, Iowa

    Better for families than 88% of Iowa towns

    2,796 people · Grundy County · median home $177,900 · income $80,357 · Jan low 9°F · 32 in snow

  14. 5Jesup, Iowa

    Better for families than 89% of Iowa towns

    2,508 people · Buchanan County · median home $190,200 · income $89,408 · Jan low 8°F · 36 in snow

  15. 4Polk City, Iowa

    Better for families than 93% of Iowa towns

    5,543 people · Polk County · median home $414,800 · income $164,389 · Jan low 13°F · 38 in snow

  16. 3Bondurant, Iowa

    Better for families than 93% of Iowa towns

    7,365 people · Polk County · median home $318,800 · income $135,674 · Jan low 12°F · 31 in snow

  17. 2Center Point, Iowa

    Better for families than 94% of Iowa towns

    2,579 people · Linn County · median home $212,400 · income $95,192 · Jan low 8°F · 33 in snow

  18. 1Hudson, Iowa

    Better for families than 97% of Iowa towns

    2,546 people · Black Hawk County · median home $242,700 · income $120,481 · Jan low 11°F · 39 in snow

Price vs ranking

Median home value vs ranking, Iowa towns0255075100$82K$162K$242K$321K$401KMedian home valuePercentile
Orange squares are the 18 towns on this list; green dots are other towns on The Town Files in Iowa.

More Iowa rankings

Same ranking, other places

Methodology. We ranked 99 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Iowa (2020 Census population; towns with 2,500+ people have pages so far). Lifestyle measures are The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025), shown as percentiles. Only towns better than 60% of their peers on this measure qualify, so lists can be shorter than 25. Sources: