City · Tama County, Iowa

Toledo, Iowa

Toledo is a city in Tama County, Iowa. It has 1,966 residents. Toledo, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 43 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #8,974 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #278 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on public libraries (high), drug overdose deaths (low) and drought exposure (low). It ranks worst on primary care physicians (low), public EV charging ports (low) and dentists (low).

43Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #8,974 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #278 of 281 in IA
Population: 1,966 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 856.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 1978510

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety61#6,068/15,637
Economy13#13,539/15,631
Housing77#3,508/14,977
Health42#8,981/15,609
Healthcare7#14,478/15,650
Environment81#2,995/15,453
Education37#9,817/15,649
Infrastructure24#11,916/15,650
Community72#4,449/15,651
Leisure & amenities46#8,508/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Toledo, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Tama 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 · high5.4 /10k
99/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesTama 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 dataTama County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAATama County value
Grocery stores · high3.0 /10k
94/100Iowa 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTama County value
High school diploma or higher · high94.4%
90/100Iowa 93.3%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Preventable hospital stays · low1,818 /100k
89/100Iowa 2,368 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTama County value

Weaknesses

Primary care physicians · low18 /100k
3/100Iowa 74 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTama County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Iowa 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyTama County value
Dentists · low18 /100k
4/100Iowa 73 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTama County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100Iowa 10.1United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationTama County value
Mental health providers · low48 /100k
5/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTama County value
Distance to an emergency room · high16.6 mi
6/100Iowa 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesTama County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,303 (2015-2019) → 1,966 (2020-2024)
−15%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
12.0 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
High school diploma or higherImproving
85.2% (2015-2019) → 94.4% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
12.0% (2015-2019) → 20.2% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
49.1% (2015-2019) → 41.0% (2020-2024)
−8.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.1% (2015-2019) → 86.4% (2020-2024)
+7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Toledo, Iowa improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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

High school++9.3 points85.2% → 94.4%
Bachelor's++8.2 points12.0% → 20.2%
Household income+34%$39,767 → $53,333

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Toledo, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.1 min2015-2019	21.5 min2020-2024	+2.3 min	Within the margin of error	24%
Bachelor's degree or higher	12.0%2015-2019	20.2%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Improved	84%
Broadband subscriptions	79.1%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Child poverty rate	23.7%2015-2019	27.8%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Effective property tax rate	1.86%2015-2019	1.58%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	72%
High school diploma or higher	85.2%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Improved	94%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	78%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3632015-2019	0.4032020-2024	+0.041	Within the margin of error	21%
Median household income	$39,7672015-2019	$53,3332020-2024	+34%	Improved	64%
Poverty rate	15.8%2015-2019	22.2%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	29.8%2015-2019	28.8%2020-2024	−1 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Rent-burdened households	49.1%2015-2019	41.0%2020-2024	−8.1 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Unemployment rate	5.6%2015-2019	6.7%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.5%2015-2019	8.9%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	74%

“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 Toledo, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Toledo, 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, Toledo, Iowa itself moved +6.1 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

1,966 residents (±265)

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

850 households (±124)

Toledo, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k21%†177
$25k–50k27%†232
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

850 households (±124)

Toledo, Iowa
Iowa share

Own60%514
Rent40%†336

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

† 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

902 workers (±138)

Toledo, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone86%772
Carpool13%†114
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 Tama County, the county holding most of Toledo's residents.

Tama County has 282 employer establishments, 168 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.65× Iowa's), with 3,565 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,224. The Census Bureau also counts 1,153 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 282; 1,153 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 168; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 3,565
Average annual pay: $45,224; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	23	13.7	0.88×About typical	111	$49,577	132
Truck transportation	21	12.5	2.47×More than typical	119	$55,798	74
Religious organizations	19	11.3	2.04×More than typical	41	$17,317	—
Restaurants and other eating places	16	9.5	0.52×Fewer than typical	159	$15,038	—
Banks and credit unions	12	7.1	2.21×More than typical	75	$55,373	—
Full-service restaurants	11	6.5	0.85×About typical	45	$19,067	—
Gasoline stations	11	6.5	2.02×More than typical	143	$28,685	—
Ambulatory health care services	10	5.9	0.29×Fewer than typical	38	$50,132	33
Offices of other health practitioners	8	4.8	0.78×Too few to compare	21	$41,143	13
Other specialty trade contractors	8	4.8	1.89×Too few to compare	21	$69,476	39
Building equipment contractors	7	4.2	0.69×Too few to compare	68	$48,162	36
Lessors of real estate	7	4.2	0.34×Too few to compare	10	$69,400	110

Rank places for an industry Open Tama County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,824 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Tama 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.

Toledo, 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.

Tama County68100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Tama 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/1978510

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends