City · Greene County, Iowa

Jefferson, Iowa

Jefferson is a city in Greene County, Iowa. It has 4,152 residents. Jefferson, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 74 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,023 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #180 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on public libraries (high), firearm deaths (low) and mammography screening (high). It ranks worst on gyms and fitness centers (low), traffic deaths (high) and math scores (low).

74High

Quality-of-life score: #4,023 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #180 of 281 in IA
Population: 4,152 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 690.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 1939450

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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#2,420/15,637
Economy55#7,089/15,631
Housing86#2,107/14,977
Health42#9,110/15,609
Healthcare65#5,531/15,650
Environment93#1,037/15,453
Education31#10,875/15,649
Infrastructure52#7,468/15,650
Community87#1,981/15,651
Leisure & amenities39#9,600/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Jefferson, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Greene 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 · high6.9 /10k
100/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesGreene County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Iowa 11.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionGreene County value
Mammography screening · high60.0%
98/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreene County value
Social associations · high19.8 /10k
98/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreene County value
Drought exposure · low0%
96/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAGreene County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low104 min
95/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGreene County value

Weaknesses

Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100Iowa 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGreene County value
Traffic deaths · high29.9 /100k
7/100Iowa 11.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataGreene County value
Math scores · low2.66
12/100Iowa 3.03United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreene County value
Reading scores · low2.75
12/100Iowa 3.05United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreene County value
Job growth · low-2.0%
13/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataGreene County value
Dentists · low35 /100k
16/100Iowa 73 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreene County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
76.0% (2015-2019) → 88.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.0× (2015-2019) → 2.6× (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
27.7% (2015-2019) → 33.6% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$46,008 (2015-2019) → $58,895 (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
17.9 min (2015-2019) → 22.2 min (2020-2024)
+24%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Child poverty rateWorsening
5.3% (2015-2019) → 9.6% (2020-2024)
+4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Jefferson, Iowa improved on 2 of 12 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.

Improved2

Broadband+13 points76.0% → 88.8%
Household income+28%$46,008 → $58,895

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Jefferson, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.9 min2015-2019	22.2 min2020-2024	+4.3 min	Within the margin of error	12%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.2%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Broadband subscriptions	76.0%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	72%
Effective property tax rate	1.52%2015-2019	1.52%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	17%
High school diploma or higher	92.6%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	42%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4122015-2019	0.4122020-2024	+0.000	Within the margin of error	50%
Median household income	$46,0082015-2019	$58,8952020-2024	+28%	Improved	51%
Poverty rate	7.2%2015-2019	7.3%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent as share of income	23.4%2015-2019	25.7%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	27.7%2015-2019	33.6%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.4%2015-2019	3.4%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	46%

“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 Jefferson, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Jefferson, 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, Jefferson, Iowa itself moved −7.1 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

4,152 residents (±23)

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

2,085 households (±122)

Jefferson, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k15%†316
$25k–50k28%587
$50k–75k19%†391

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,085 households (±122)

Jefferson, Iowa
Iowa share

Own75%1,562
Rent25%523

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+9.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,730 workers (±181)

Jefferson, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone78%1,344
Carpool15%†253
Public transit0.1%†1

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 Greene County, the county holding most of Jefferson's residents.

Greene County has 252 employer establishments, 293 for every 10,000 residents (1.18× the US rate of 248; 1.13× Iowa's), with 2,957 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,816. The Census Bureau also counts 688 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 252; 688 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 293; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 2,957
Average annual pay: $48,816; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	18	20.9	1.35×More than typical	45	$40,622	70
Ambulatory health care services	16	18.6	0.89×About typical	96	$49,104	33
Religious organizations	14	16.3	2.93×More than typical	47	$20,234	—
Restaurants and other eating places	14	16.3	0.89×About typical	123	$14,130	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	10.5	2.08×Too few to compare	34	$33,265	17
Banks and credit unions	9	10.5	3.24×Too few to compare	94	$73,872	—
Construction of buildings	9	10.5	1.38×Too few to compare	35	$65,771	23
Offices of other health practitioners	9	10.5	1.72×Too few to compare	29	$38,966	10
Truck transportation	9	10.5	2.07×Too few to compare	8	$39,500	44
Building equipment contractors	8	9.3	1.55×Too few to compare	24	$41,500	10
Full-service restaurants	8	9.3	1.21×Too few to compare	81	$14,630	—
Lessors of real estate	8	9.3	0.75×Too few to compare	8	$59,625	59

Rank places for an industry Open Greene County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,603 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 Jefferson, Iowa: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
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

5.8KFY2017
8.5KFY2018
5.4KFY2019
5.6KFY2020
81.6KFY2021
27.6KFY2022
-239.7FY2023

What was bought

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 Jefferson, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Jefferson, Iowa's figures are part of those of Greene County, IA ($20.1K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Greene 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.

Jefferson, 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.

Greene County86100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Greene 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/1939450

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends