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Place dossier plate
SheetIA-PEOSTA-IA · Peosta, IA 1,922 pop · income 87th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Peosta
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Peosta on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Sebewaing · lowest
50,779
Sebewaing · lowest
50,779 median HH income
42.2% of the leader · rank #1
Naval Academy · near
120,347
Naval Academy · near
120,347 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #2
Hartley · near
120,354
Hartley · near
120,354 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #3
Dakota Ridge · near
120,368
Dakota Ridge · near
120,368 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #4
Peosta · this city
120,375
Peosta · this city
120,375 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #5
Greentown · highest
120,417
Greentown · highest
120,417 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
Mount Aetna · near
120,417
Mount Aetna · near
120,417 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Peosta on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 1,922.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Peosta - the verdict
Nationally, Peosta sits in the 87th percentile for household income and the 77th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
87th
percentile, household income
66th
percentile, home value
11th
percentile, median rent
77th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Peosta, IA
Peosta is a small town in Iowa, home to 1,922 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Peosta report a median income of $120,375 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.8%. Peosta's housing stock carries a median value of $304,600, and the median resident age is 34.9 years. 40.3% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 78.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 20 residential building permits were authorized in Peosta (Slowing), down 13% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Peosta reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 684.9 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Iowa run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Iowa at 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $989 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $212 across Iowa, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.7 out of 100 (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Peosta's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to housing and income to population change to comparison shortlist to schools and households to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Peosta, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Peosta?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
How far does income reach against housing in Peosta?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +298 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +15.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 20 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Which cities make useful reference points for Peosta?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Iowa, the closest population matches are Britt (1,919 residents, $64,257 income); Granger (1,919 residents, $112,125 income); Mediapolis (1,930 residents, $71,250 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Irrigon, OR (1,922 residents); Williamsport, IN (1,921 residents); Sebewaing, MI (1,921 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Peosta?
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 40.3% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
2.8%
Bachelor's degree+
40.3%
Matched public schools
1
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Peosta?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 684.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 70% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
684.9
Violent rate
91.3
Property rate
593.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
87.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income A
$120,375
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate A-
2.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share B+
40.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime B
91 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Peosta profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 94/100 (A+) · 87.8 index
Household income: 86/100 (A) · $120,375
Poverty rate: 80/100 (A-) · 2.8%
Bachelor's+ share: 75/100 (B+) · 40.3%
Violent crime: 73/100 (B) · 91 /100k
Where Peosta sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Peosta's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Peosta highlighted among 23 peers.Read the chart values
Peosta, IA (this city): home $304,600, crime 685/100k
Pinckney, MI : home $251,700, crime 513/100k
Durant, IA : home $202,000, crime 223/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Peosta compare to other US cities?
Here's how Peosta stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income87% higher than other cities
Home value66% pricier than other cities
Median rent11% pricier than other cities
Safety77% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Iowa, Peosta ranks #58 of 141 Iowa cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Peosta against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Iowa only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Iowa-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Peosta near the bottom of Iowa's cities
Among the 858 Iowa cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Peosta ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Peosta only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#23 of 845
97th percentile in Iowa
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 858
0th percentile in Iowa
Median Home Value
#29 of 849
97th percentile in Iowa
Poverty Rate
#622 of 858
27th percentile in Iowa
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#64 of 858
93rd percentile in Iowa
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Iowa only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
87th percentile nationally for median household income · 77th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Peosta's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Peosta's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Peosta's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$304,60034th percentilemore affordable than 34% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Peosta's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#4,155 of 15,516
More affordable than 73% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,733 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 2.5×, Peosta sits in the affordable band:
national rank #4,155 of 15,516 and #3,733 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$120,375Peosta, IA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Peosta, IA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Peosta, IA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)40.3%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)78.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,922
Median Income
$120,375
Median Home Value
$304,600
Median Age
34.9
Poverty Rate
2.8%
Labor force participation
78.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
40.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
684.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
91.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
593.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Peosta's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
1,927 residents
2021
1,975 residents
2022
2,057 residents
2023
2,116 residents
2024
2,184 residents
2025
2,225 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Slowing
Total Permits (2024)
20
housing units authorized
Single-Family
20
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
10.4
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
23
23
0
$6.5M
2020
25
25
0
$7.0M
2021
41
41
0
$10.0M
2022
23
23
0
$7.2M
2023
25
11
14
$7.3M
2024
20
20
0
$8.8M
Permit volume decreased 13% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
77.2%
Carpool
8.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.7%
Work from Home
12.7%
Other
0.6%
Based on 1,031 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Iowa statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $212
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Iowa at $212 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Iowa statewide averages, not a meter reading for Peosta. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Iowa's BEA cost-of-living index is 87.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Peosta is $989/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Iowa statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.7 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Iowa statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Peosta sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Peosta compares to similar-size Iowa cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.