Scores by category

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

Safety80#3,106/15,637
Economy43#8,894/15,631
Housing81#2,775/14,977
Health53#7,412/15,609
Healthcare67#5,209/15,650
Environment65#5,427/15,453
Education46#8,486/15,649
Infrastructure37#9,875/15,650
Community94#882/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,926/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Time spent in the emergency room · low55 min
100/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesIowa County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Iowa 9.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataIowa County value
Public libraries · high3.0 /10k
96/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesIowa County value
Social associations · high17.1 /10k
95/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteIowa County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Iowa 2.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataIowa County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.357
93/100Iowa 0.444United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-12.9%
0/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataIowa County value
Broadband subscriptions · low78.5%
5/100Iowa 88.8%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Adult obesity · high44.9%
5/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Traffic deaths · high25.4 /100k
12/100Iowa 11.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataIowa County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low12.9%
12/100Iowa 31.4%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Iowa 4.1 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,483 (2015-2019) → 2,725 (2020-2024)
+9.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
1.1 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
30.1% (2015-2019) → 38.7% (2020-2024)
+8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
20.1% (2015-2019) → 24.9% (2020-2024)
+4.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
13.0% (2015-2019) → 17.7% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
9.8% (2015-2019) → 13.2% (2020-2024)
+3.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Marengo, Iowa improved on 0 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 14 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Marengo, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	22.8 min2015-2019	20.2 min2020-2024	−2.6 min	Within the margin of error	76%
Bachelor's degree or higher	10.7%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Broadband subscriptions	78.8%2015-2019	78.5%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Child poverty rate	13.0%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Effective property tax rate	1.63%2015-2019	1.39%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	66%
High school diploma or higher	90.1%2015-2019	91.4%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	61%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4242015-2019	0.3572020-2024	−0.067	Within the margin of error	89%
Median household income	$54,1802015-2019	$57,9412020-2024	+6.9%	Within the margin of error	13%
Poverty rate	9.8%2015-2019	13.2%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	20.1%2015-2019	24.9%2020-2024	+4.8 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Rent-burdened households	30.1%2015-2019	38.7%2020-2024	+8.6 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.9%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	26%

“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 Marengo, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Marengo, 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, Marengo, Iowa itself moved −2.9 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

2,725 residents (±365)

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

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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,725 residents (±365)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

White95%2,586
Black1.1%†31
Hispanic or Latino0.3%†8

Education

1,950 residents (±206)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

No high school diploma8.6%†168
High school or GED45%870
Some college21%406

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

1,148 households (±118)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k13%†151
$25k–50k27%312
$50k–75k28%317
$75k–100k13%†145
$100k–150k13%†147
$150k–200k5.8%†67
$200k or more0.8%†9

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 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

1,148 households (±118)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Own69%794
Rent31%354

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

323 households (±84)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $75058%†187
$750–1,00031%†100
$1,000–1,5008.7%†28

Home values

794 homes (±114)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $150k60%477
$150k–250k32%258
$250k–400k6.9%†55

Age of homes

1,240 homes (±115)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

2010 or later3.4%†42
2000–20094.3%†53
1980–199915%†180

Size of homes

1,240 homes (±115)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Studio1.7%†21
1 bedroom11%†135
2 bedrooms29%362

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

1,357 workers (±203)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone81%1,101
Carpool9.0%†122
Public transit0.0%0
Walk3.5%†48
Bike0.3%†4
Work from home5.7%†77
Other0.4%†5

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,280 workers (±200)

Marengo, Iowa
Iowa share

Under 15 min42%540
15–29 min34%436
30–44 min16%†200

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

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 Iowa County, the county holding most of Marengo's residents.

Iowa County has 459 employer establishments, 279 for every 10,000 residents (1.13× the US rate of 248; 1.08× Iowa's), with 7,366 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,548. The Census Bureau also counts 1,213 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 459; 1,213 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 279; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 7,366
Average annual pay: $46,548; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	44	26.8	1.73×More than typical	149	$56,141	122
Religious organizations	21	12.8	2.30×More than typical	75	$16,347	—
Ambulatory health care services	20	12.2	0.58×Fewer than typical	129	$56,853	29
Restaurants and other eating places	20	12.2	0.66×Fewer than typical	315	$21,143	8
Clothing and accessories stores	19	11.6	3.19×More than typical	232	$19,392	7
Construction of buildings	17	10.3	1.37×More than typical	28	$56,786	46
Building equipment contractors	16	9.7	1.62×More than typical	70	$44,629	19
Truck transportation	16	9.7	1.93×More than typical	71	$53,789	46
Automotive repair and maintenance	14	8.5	1.69×More than typical	62	$40,371	32
Insurance agencies and brokerages	14	8.5	1.94×More than typical	32	$47,469	24
Services to buildings and dwellings	14	8.5	1.26×More than typical	51	$44,000	83
Other specialty trade contractors	13	7.9	3.15×More than typical	29	$88,069	44

Rank places for an industry Open Iowa County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,431 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 Marengo, 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

2.8KFY2017
3.3KFY2018
963.2FY2019
-8.5FY2020

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

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

See federal money in Iowa 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.

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

House

Mariannette Miller-MeeksR-IA-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 96%Missed 3.9%

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.

Iowa County98100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Iowa 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/1949395