City · Poweshiek County, Iowa

Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa. It has 9,505 residents. Grinnell, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 80 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,180 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #149 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), homicide rate (low) and social associations (high). It ranks worst on suicide rate (high), job growth (low) and hospital quality rating (low).

80High

Quality-of-life score: #3,180 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #149 of 281 in IA
Population: 9,505 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 1,670.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1933105

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.

Safety63#5,713/15,637
Economy43#8,944/15,631
Housing73#4,081/14,977
Health53#7,263/15,609
Healthcare71#4,564/15,650
Environment68#4,977/15,453
Education80#3,085/15,649
Infrastructure51#7,627/15,650
Community88#1,877/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,906/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low12.3 min
99/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Iowa 2.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPoweshiek County value
Social associations · high15.7 /10k
93/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePoweshiek County value
Grocery stores · high2.7 /10k
92/100Iowa 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPoweshiek County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low112 min
91/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPoweshiek County value
Child care cost burden · low21.6%
90/100Iowa 22.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstitutePoweshiek County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high54.2 /100k
0/100Iowa 16.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataPoweshiek County value
Job growth · low-7.6%
0/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataPoweshiek County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesPoweshiek County value
Adult obesity · high42.4%
11/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.500
14/100Iowa 0.444United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Broadband subscriptions · low87.4%
21/100Iowa 88.8%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

PopulationRising
9,031 (2015-2019) → 9,505 (2020-2024)
+5.2%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
2.3 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−73%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$46,750 (2015-2019) → $65,320 (2020-2024)
+40%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
80.5% (2015-2019) → 87.4% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
9.5% (2015-2019) → 4.3% (2020-2024)
−5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
33.4% (2015-2019) → 37.5% (2020-2024)
+4.1 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, Grinnell, 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

Uninsured−5.2 points9.5% → 4.3%
Household income+40%$46,750 → $65,320
Broadband+6.9 points80.5% → 87.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Grinnell, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.3 min2015-2019	12.3 min2020-2024	−2.0 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	33.4%2015-2019	37.5%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Broadband subscriptions	80.5%2015-2019	87.4%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Improved	43%
Effective property tax rate	1.59%2015-2019	1.45%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	44%
High school diploma or higher	93.1%2015-2019	94.7%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	64%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4952015-2019	0.5002020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$46,7502015-2019	$65,3202020-2024	+40%	Improved	73%
Poverty rate	13.3%2015-2019	11.1%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent as share of income	26.7%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Rent-burdened households	43.8%2015-2019	45.0%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Unemployment rate	4.7%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	9.5%2015-2019	4.3%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Improved	87%

“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 Grinnell, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Grinnell, 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, Grinnell, Iowa itself moved −0.8 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

9,505 residents (±52)

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

3,635 households (±227)

Grinnell, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k22%805
$25k–50k19%†698
$50k–75k14%†518

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,635 households (±227)

Grinnell, Iowa
Iowa share

Own65%2,347
Rent35%1,288

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

4,608 workers (±245)

Grinnell, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone54%2,502
Carpool4.5%†207
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 Poweshiek County, the county holding most of Grinnell's residents.

Poweshiek County has 571 employer establishments, 309 for every 10,000 residents (1.24× the US rate of 248; 1.19× Iowa's), with 9,789 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,763. The Census Bureau also counts 1,373 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 571; 1,373 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 309; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 9,789
Average annual pay: $50,763; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	58	31.4	2.03×More than typical	363	$55,570	103
Ambulatory health care services	46	24.9	1.19×About typical	198	$55,955	35
Restaurants and other eating places	30	16.2	0.88×About typical	342	$18,503	5
Construction of buildings	25	13.5	1.79×More than typical	48	$36,458	42
Truck transportation	21	11.4	2.25×More than typical	41	$53,951	39
Religious organizations	20	10.8	1.95×More than typical	78	$19,038	—
Building equipment contractors	18	9.7	1.62×More than typical	60	$44,100	9
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	18	9.7	3.09×More than typical	21	$75,714	14
Offices of other health practitioners	18	9.7	1.60×More than typical	45	$52,600	20
Gasoline stations	17	9.2	2.84×More than typical	280	$32,143	—
Lessors of real estate	16	8.7	0.70×Fewer than typical	34	$19,029	183
Full-service restaurants	15	8.1	1.06×About typical	171	$20,807	—

Rank places for an industry Open Poweshiek County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,487 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Grinnell, Iowa: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Spending by fiscal year

288.7FY2018
1.2KFY2019
0FY2021

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 Grinnell, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Poweshiek 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.

Grinnell, 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.

Poweshiek County89100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Poweshiek 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/1933105

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends