Scores by category

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

Safety24#11,808/15,637
Economy26#11,512/15,631
Housing84#2,362/14,977
Health26#11,569/15,609
Healthcare56#6,920/15,650
Environment81#2,981/15,453
Education30#11,015/15,649
Infrastructure34#10,287/15,650
Community60#6,278/15,651
Leisure & amenities57#6,702/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Public libraries · high2.5 /10k
94/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWebster County value
Drought exposure · low1%
93/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWebster County value
Average commute time · low19.0 min
92/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Mammography screening · high55.0%
91/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWebster County value
Pharmacies · high2.4 /10k
88/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWebster County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Iowa 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWebster County value

Weaknesses

Violent crime rate · high749 /100k
2/100Iowa 234 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWebster County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWebster County value
Adult obesity · high43.0%
9/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · high99 mi
10/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWebster County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100Iowa 10.1United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWebster County value
Property crime rate · high2,089 /100k
12/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWebster County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
0.2 /1k (2021) → 2.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+1,300%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.1% (2015-2019) → 85.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,886 (2015-2019) → $60,649 (2020-2024)
+48%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
14.4 min (2015-2019) → 19.0 min (2020-2024)
+32%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
High school diploma or higherImproving
88.9% (2015-2019) → 91.8% (2020-2024)
+2.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.1% (2015-2019) → 44.6% (2020-2024)
+2.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Fort Dodge, Iowa improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 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

Household income+48%$40,886 → $60,649
Broadband+12 points74.1% → 85.9%

Declined1

Commute+4.6 min14.4 min → 19.0 min

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Dodge, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.4 min2015-2019	19.0 min2020-2024	+4.6 min	Declined	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.9%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Broadband subscriptions	74.1%2015-2019	85.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	68%
Child poverty rate	20.5%2015-2019	19.9%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Effective property tax rate	1.87%2015-2019	1.69%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	52%
High school diploma or higher	88.9%2015-2019	91.8%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	75%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4522015-2019	0.4552020-2024	+0.003	Within the margin of error	48%
Median household income	$40,8862015-2019	$60,6492020-2024	+48%	Improved	83%
Poverty rate	16.0%2015-2019	15.9%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Rent as share of income	26.1%2015-2019	28.2%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Rent-burdened households	42.1%2015-2019	44.6%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Unemployment rate	4.9%2015-2019	6.0%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.4%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	30%

“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 Fort Dodge, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Dodge, 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, Fort Dodge, Iowa itself moved −1.2 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

24,827 residents (±47)

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: Under 10 men (−1.2 points).

Table view

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

Race and Hispanic origin

24,827 residents (±47)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

White80%19,759
Black4.6%1,149
Hispanic or Latino8.9%2,214
Asian1.5%381
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†26
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races5.2%1,298

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−3.7 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

16,248 residents (±264)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

No high school diploma8.2%1,336
High school or GED33%5,302
Some college24%3,819
Associate degree14%2,270
Bachelor's degree16%2,615
Graduate degree5.6%906

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: No high school diploma (−2.8 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

10,272 households (±353)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k20%2,014
$25k–50k24%2,444
$50k–75k17%1,712
$75k–100k15%1,515
$100k–150k14%1,403
$150k–200k8.3%848
$200k or more3.3%†336

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−10.2 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

10,272 households (±353)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Own64%6,619
Rent36%3,653

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

3,480 households (±435)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $75043%1,506
$750–1,00036%1,237
$1,000–1,50013%†468

Home values

6,619 homes (±417)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $150k52%3,436
$150k–250k31%2,070
$250k–400k13%884

Age of homes

11,475 homes (±193)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

2010 or later5.8%†671
2000–20095.6%641
1980–199911%1,266

Size of homes

11,475 homes (±193)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Studio3.6%†413
1 bedroom12%1,343
2 bedrooms35%4,002

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

11,422 workers (±558)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone80%9,156
Carpool8.9%1,015
Public transit0.4%†46
Walk2.4%†274
Bike0.7%†84
Work from home4.4%508
Other3.0%†339

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−2.5 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

10,914 workers (±590)

Fort Dodge, Iowa
Iowa share

Under 15 min60%6,498
15–29 min25%2,728
30–44 min5.3%†580

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 Fort Dodge, 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 Webster County, the county holding most of Fort Dodge's residents.

Webster County has 997 employer establishments, 272 for every 10,000 residents (1.10× the US rate of 248; 1.05× Iowa's), with 16,146 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,054. The Census Bureau also counts 2,134 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 997; 2,134 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 272; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 16,146
Average annual pay: $49,054; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	74	20.2	1.30×More than typical	568	$74,871	156
Ambulatory health care services	72	19.6	0.94×About typical	574	$77,753	79
Restaurants and other eating places	53	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	1,149	$16,842	7
Truck transportation	48	13.1	2.59×More than typical	2,857	$37,543	75
Religious organizations	37	10.1	1.82×More than typical	240	$25,463	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	35	9.5	2.17×More than typical	120	$58,433	42
Automotive repair and maintenance	34	9.3	1.84×More than typical	169	$46,118	45
Lessors of real estate	31	8.5	0.69×Fewer than typical	59	$61,763	283
Building equipment contractors	29	7.9	1.31×More than typical	399	$75,930	15
Offices of other health practitioners	27	7.4	1.21×About typical	99	$53,707	23
Full-service restaurants	25	6.8	0.89×About typical	479	$17,200	—
Gasoline stations	25	6.8	2.10×More than typical	276	$25,739	—

Rank places for an industry Open Webster County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 36,666 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 $14.3K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fort Dodge, Iowa: $0.57 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $14.3K; +1.1% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.57; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; 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

Top recipients

JOSEPHSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY$11.9K83%
MARKOV ENTERPRISES LLC$1,79913%
DLLC - DUPREE LANDSCAPING & LAWN CARE LLC$5914.1%
AES ASSET ACQUISITION CORPORATION$4893.4%
KOMPLETE SYSTEMS INTEGRATORS, INC.-$5030.0%

Spending by fiscal year

9.1KFY2017
391KFY2018
92.2KFY2019
15.9KFY2020
-48KFY2021
13.9KFY2022
18.7KFY2023
52.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment manufacturing · 3334$11.6K82%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$1,79913%
Waste treatment and disposal · 5622$4893.4%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$2531.8%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$87.110.6%

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 Fort Dodge, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Fort Dodge, Iowa's figures are part of those of Webster County, IA ($135.6K in FY2026), never added to them: 11% of that total.

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

See federal money in Webster 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.

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

House

Randy FeenstraR-IA-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 97%Missed 1.6%

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.

Webster County72100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fort Dodge, IA69

Other cities and towns in Webster 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/1928515

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends