City · Benton County, Iowa

Atkins, Iowa

Atkins is a city in Benton County, Iowa, part of the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area. It has 2,225 residents. Atkins, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,713 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #82 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on high school diploma or higher (high), time spent in the emergency room (low) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on public EV charging ports (low), gyms and fitness centers (low) and primary care physicians (low).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,713 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #82 of 281 in IA
Population: 2,225 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,028.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 1903475

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety85#2,276/15,637
Economy88#1,954/15,631
Housing83#2,602/14,977
Health78#3,361/15,609
Healthcare60#6,281/15,650
Environment55#7,024/15,453
Education92#1,188/15,649
Infrastructure86#2,205/15,650
Community87#2,092/15,651
Leisure & amenities15#13,262/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Atkins, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Benton County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

High school diploma or higher · high97.5%
100/100Iowa 93.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Time spent in the emergency room · low79 min
99/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBenton County value
Public libraries · high4.3 /10k
98/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesBenton County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low0.6%
98/100Iowa 6.4%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.330
98/100Iowa 0.444United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Child care cost burden · low18.5%
97/100Iowa 22.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenton County value

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Iowa 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyBenton County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Iowa 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBenton County value
Primary care physicians · low19 /100k
4/100Iowa 74 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenton County value
Dentists · low23 /100k
6/100Iowa 73 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenton County value
Mental health providers · low58 /100k
7/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenton County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low44.3%
7/100Iowa 80.0%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBenton County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,991 (2015-2019) → 2,225 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent as share of incomeImproving
36.0% (2015-2019) → 14.6% (2020-2024)
−21 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
54.5% (2015-2019) → 36.4% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
4.9 /1k (2021) → 0.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−82%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
85.7% (2015-2019) → 93.3% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
31.4% (2015-2019) → 36.1% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Atkins, Iowa improved on 2 of 9 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Broadband+7.6 points85.7% → 93.3%
Household income+17%$95,455 → $112,138

Declined1

Price / income+0.5×2.3× → 2.8×

All 9 measures

Change of every measure of Atkins, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.8 min2015-2019	20.6 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.4%2015-2019	36.1%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Broadband subscriptions	85.7%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	47%
Effective property tax rate	1.29%2015-2019	1.20%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
High school diploma or higher	97.3%2015-2019	97.5%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.8×2020-2024	+0.5×	Declined	50%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3542015-2019	0.3302020-2024	−0.024	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$95,4552015-2019	$112,1382020-2024	+17%	Improved	28%
Poverty rate	2.8%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	23%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Atkins, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Atkins, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Atkins, Iowa itself moved −0.6 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,225 residents (±217)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29†
10–19
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+2.8 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,225 residents (±217)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

White96%2,134
Black0.4%†8
Hispanic or Latino0.1%†3

Education

1,419 residents (±142)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

No high school diploma2.5%†35
High school or GED23%328
Some college22%315

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

789 households (±79)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k7.5%†59
$25k–50k8.4%†66
$50k–75k9.9%†78
$75k–100k12%†97
$100k–150k30%239
$150k–200k17%135
$200k or more15%115

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+8.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

789 households (±79)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Own91%719
Rent8.9%†70

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

66 households (±29)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $75085%†56
$750–1,00011%†7
$1,000–1,5004.5%†3

Home values

719 homes (±74)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $150k7.1%†51
$150k–250k19%139
$250k–400k58%417

Age of homes

789 homes (±79)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

2010 or later22%170
2000–200935%273
1980–199913%104

Size of homes

789 homes (±79)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Studio0.9%†7
1 bedroom7.4%†58
2 bedrooms6.7%†53

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,264 workers (±142)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone80%1,005
Carpool4.2%†53
Public transit0.8%†10
Walk1.7%†21
Bike0.0%0
Work from home14%172
Other0.2%†3

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+9.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,092 workers (±134)

Atkins, Iowa
Iowa share

Under 15 min16%170
15–29 min69%758
30–44 min9.3%†102

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Cedar Rapids, IA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Benton County, the county holding most of Atkins's residents.

Benton County has 535 employer establishments, 208 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248; 0.80× Iowa's), with 4,296 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,044. The Census Bureau also counts 1,848 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 535; 1,848 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 208; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 4,296
Average annual pay: $47,044; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Benton County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	55	21.3	1.38×More than typical	251	$55,817	177
Truck transportation	33	12.8	2.53×More than typical	124	$48,468	66
Ambulatory health care services	29	11.3	0.54×Fewer than typical	199	$50,392	50
Religious organizations	28	10.9	1.96×More than typical	89	$14,528	—
Restaurants and other eating places	26	10.1	0.55×Fewer than typical	259	$14,548	5
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	18	7	2.22×More than typical	56	$56,661	38
Automotive repair and maintenance	17	6.6	1.31×More than typical	45	$35,978	37
Gasoline stations	17	6.6	2.03×More than typical	178	$26,034	3
Building finishing contractors	15	5.8	1.53×More than typical	68	$42,765	58
Insurance agencies and brokerages	15	5.8	1.33×More than typical	37	$63,730	43
Full-service restaurants	14	5.4	0.71×Fewer than typical	138	$13,420	4
Banks and credit unions	13	5	1.56×More than typical	86	$68,988	—

Rank places for an industry Open Benton County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,773 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Atkins is mostly in Benton County.

See federal money in Benton County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Atkins, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ashley HinsonR-IA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Benton County89100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Cedar Rapids, IA95

Other cities and towns in Benton County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1903475