City · Union County, Iowa

Creston, Iowa

Creston is a city in Union County, Iowa. It has 7,435 residents. Creston, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 67 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,126 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #224 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an Amtrak station (low), average commute time (low) and mammography screening (high). It ranks worst on public EV charging ports (low), job growth (low) and math scores (low).

67High

Quality-of-life score: #5,126 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #224 of 281 in IA
Population: 7,435 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,432.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 1917265

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.

Safety56#6,908/15,637
Economy27#11,363/15,631
Housing94#884/14,977
Health46#8,449/15,609
Healthcare61#6,082/15,650
Environment97#390/15,453
Education36#10,051/15,649
Infrastructure50#7,774/15,650
Community72#4,324/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,489/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Creston, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Union 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

Distance to an Amtrak station · low3 mi
99/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauUnion County value
Average commute time · low12.3 min
99/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Mammography screening · high59.0%
98/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low101 min
96/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesUnion County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Iowa 2.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataUnion County value
Rent-burdened households · low36.9%
93/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Iowa 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyUnion County value
Job growth · low-3.6%
5/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataUnion County value
Math scores · low2.58
8/100Iowa 3.03United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Reading scores · low2.68
8/100Iowa 3.05United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
9/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value
Effective property tax rate · high1.82%
11/100Iowa 1.33%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 4.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+1,126%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.1% (2015-2019) → 88.2% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
15.8% (2015-2019) → 23.9% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Median household incomeImproving
$43,693 (2015-2019) → $52,633 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
89.5% (2015-2019) → 92.2% (2020-2024)
+2.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Average commute timeImproving
13.6 min (2015-2019) → 12.3 min (2020-2024)
−9.9%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Creston, Iowa improved on 3 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved3

Bachelor's++8.2 points15.8% → 23.9%
Broadband+9.1 points79.1% → 88.2%
Household income+20%$43,693 → $52,633

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Creston, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.6 min2015-2019	12.3 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.8%2015-2019	23.9%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Improved	84%
Broadband subscriptions	79.1%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Improved	55%
Child poverty rate	19.4%2015-2019	19.7%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Effective property tax rate	1.74%2015-2019	1.82%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	7%
High school diploma or higher	89.5%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4372015-2019	0.4092020-2024	−0.028	Within the margin of error	73%
Median household income	$43,6932015-2019	$52,6332020-2024	+20%	Improved	34%
Poverty rate	17.5%2015-2019	15.8%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Rent as share of income	26.6%2015-2019	26.3%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Rent-burdened households	38.4%2015-2019	36.9%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.0%2015-2019	8.7%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	28%

“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 Creston, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Creston, 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, Creston, Iowa itself moved +3.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

7,435 residents (±36)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

3,358 households (±149)

Creston, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k21%702
$25k–50k27%896
$50k–75k20%655

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,358 households (±149)

Creston, Iowa
Iowa share

Own64%2,161
Rent36%1,197

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,265 workers (±282)

Creston, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone82%2,661
Carpool9.9%†322
Public transit0.0%0

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 Union County, the county holding most of Creston's residents.

Union County has 305 employer establishments, 257 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 0.99× Iowa's), with 4,687 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,812. The Census Bureau also counts 788 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 305; 788 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 257; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 4,687
Average annual pay: $42,812; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	23	19.4	1.05×About typical	307	$14,896	4
Specialty trade contractors	22	18.5	1.20×About typical	68	$65,294	85
Ambulatory health care services	15	12.6	0.61×Fewer than typical	157	$39,510	24
Full-service restaurants	13	10.9	1.42×More than typical	163	$10,632	—
Religious organizations	12	10.1	1.82×More than typical	42	$17,310	—
Banks and credit unions	9	7.6	2.34×Too few to compare	79	$83,468	—
Truck transportation	9	7.6	1.50×Too few to compare	27	$50,148	41
Automotive repair and maintenance	7	5.9	1.17×Too few to compare	19	$51,789	13
Child day care services	7	5.9	2.41×Too few to compare	38	$17,026	25
Construction of buildings	7	5.9	0.78×Too few to compare	15	$32,000	33
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	7	5.9	1.87×Too few to compare	17	$97,000	18
Insurance agencies and brokerages	7	5.9	1.34×Too few to compare	21	$54,238	12

Rank places for an industry Open Union County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,883 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

In FY2026, an estimated $2,929 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Creston, Iowa: $0.39 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2,929; +1,367% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.39; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Social Security Administration$2,929100%

Top recipients

FRANCONIA REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC.$2,929100%
EAST COAST POWERLINE LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

3.9KFY2017
579.8FY2018
1.6KFY2019
548.2FY2021
2KFY2022
25.3KFY2024
199.6FY2025
2.9KFY2026

Top industries (NAICS)

Offices of real estate agents and brokers · 5312$2,929100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Creston, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Creston, Iowa's figures are part of those of Union County, IA ($80.2K in FY2026), never added to them: 3.7% of that total.

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

See federal money in Union 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.

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

House

Zachary NunnR-IA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 95%Missed 4.6%

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.

Union County83100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Union 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/1917265

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends