City · O'Brien County, Iowa

Sheldon, Iowa

Sheldon is a city in O'Brien County, Iowa. It has 5,474 residents. Sheldon, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 90 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,530 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #71 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on social associations (high), preventable hospital stays (low) and grocery stores (high). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), mental health providers (low) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

90Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,530 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #71 of 281 in IA
Population: 5,474 (2020-2024)
Land area: 5 mi²
Density: 1,133.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 1972390

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety77#3,573/15,637
Economy42#9,053/15,631
Housing91#1,382/14,977
Health54#7,175/15,609
Healthcare58#6,583/15,650
Environment93#1,154/15,453
Education76#3,825/15,649
Infrastructure85#2,390/15,650
Community97#434/15,651
Leisure & amenities83#2,667/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Social associations · high26.4 /10k
99/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteO'Brien County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,060 /100k
99/100Iowa 2,368 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteO'Brien County value
Grocery stores · high4.9 /10k
99/100Iowa 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsO'Brien County value
Public libraries · high4.2 /10k
98/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesO'Brien County value
Rent as share of income · low19.6%
98/100Iowa 27.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · low26.9%
98/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.5 /1k
4/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauO'Brien County value
Mental health providers · low42 /100k
4/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteO'Brien County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high131 mi
6/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauO'Brien County value
Flu vaccinations · low31.0%
10/100Iowa 51.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteO'Brien County value
Average weekly wage · low$956
11/100Iowa $1,221United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsO'Brien County value
Comfortable days · low23.5%
13/100Iowa 24.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationO'Brien County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
5,128 (2015-2019) → 5,474 (2020-2024)
+6.7%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.7 /1k (2021) → 2.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+200%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.8% (2015-2019) → 95.3% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateWorsening
10.6% (2015-2019) → 26.3% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
41.1% (2015-2019) → 26.9% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Average commute timeWorsening
11.9 min (2015-2019) → 16.6 min (2020-2024)
+40%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, Sheldon, Iowa improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 9 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.

Improved1

Broadband+17 points77.8% → 95.3%

Declined2

Child poverty+16 points10.6% → 26.3%
Commute+4.7 min11.9 min → 16.6 min

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Sheldon, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	11.9 min2015-2019	16.6 min2020-2024	+4.7 min	Declined	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.3%2015-2019	20.8%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Broadband subscriptions	77.8%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	86%
Child poverty rate	10.6%2015-2019	26.3%2020-2024	+16 points	Declined	7%
Effective property tax rate	1.39%2015-2019	1.45%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%
High school diploma or higher	92.6%2015-2019	85.1%2020-2024	−7.5 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.6×	Within the margin of error	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3992015-2019	0.3632020-2024	−0.035	Within the margin of error	77%
Median household income	$53,1102015-2019	$62,1592020-2024	+17%	Within the margin of error	27%
Poverty rate	10.9%2015-2019	15.3%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent as share of income	26.0%2015-2019	19.6%2020-2024	−6.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Rent-burdened households	41.1%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	−14 points	Within the margin of error	88%

“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 Sheldon, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Sheldon, 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, Sheldon, Iowa itself moved +2.1 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

5,474 residents (±99)

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

2,195 households (±176)

Sheldon, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k9.3%†204
$25k–50k23%†504
$50k–75k23%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,195 households (±176)

Sheldon, Iowa
Iowa share

Own67%1,471
Rent33%†724

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,787 workers (±276)

Sheldon, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone76%2,122
Carpool17%†465
Public transit0.5%†15

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 O'Brien County, the county holding most of Sheldon's residents.

O'Brien County has 488 employer establishments, 347 for every 10,000 residents (1.40× the US rate of 248; 1.34× Iowa's), with 5,332 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,799. The Census Bureau also counts 1,020 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 488; 1,020 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 347; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 5,332
Average annual pay: $42,799; US $68,342

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

Truck transportation	42	29.9	5.91×More than typical	446	$59,426	96
Religious organizations	31	22.1	3.98×More than typical	143	$23,091	—
Ambulatory health care services	23	16.4	0.79×Fewer than typical	167	$42,072	20
Automotive repair and maintenance	23	16.4	3.25×More than typical	61	$43,213	17
Construction of buildings	22	15.7	2.07×More than typical	84	$44,298	46
Specialty trade contractors	22	15.7	1.01×About typical	77	$51,078	95
Restaurants and other eating places	20	14.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	275	$14,564	8
Banks and credit unions	14	10	3.08×More than typical	131	$81,145	—
Offices of other health practitioners	14	10	1.64×More than typical	59	$29,068	13
Insurance agencies and brokerages	12	8.5	1.94×More than typical	60	$68,983	23
Gasoline stations	11	7.8	2.41×More than typical	171	$26,608	—
Building equipment contractors	10	7.1	1.18×About typical	43	$57,186	19

Rank places for an industry Open O'Brien County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 14,052 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 Sheldon, Iowa: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

174.6FY2017
637.2FY2018
46.1KFY2019
423.6FY2020
14.8KFY2025

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

Sheldon, Iowa's figures are part of those of O'Brien County, IA and Sioux County, IA ($15M 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: Sheldon is mostly in O'Brien County.

See federal money in O'Brien 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.

Sheldon, 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.

Other cities and towns in O'Brien 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/1972390

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends