City · Hamilton County, Iowa

Webster City, Iowa

Webster City is a city in Hamilton County, Iowa. It has 7,769 residents. Webster City, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 76 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,718 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #170 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on hospital quality rating (high), drought exposure (low) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on broadband subscriptions (low), pharmacies (low) and primary care physicians (low).

76High

Quality-of-life score: #3,718 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #170 of 281 in IA
Population: 7,769 (2020-2024)
Land area: 9 mi²
Density: 844.2 /mi²
FIPS code: 1983145

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.

Safety83#2,616/15,637
Economy37#9,792/15,631
Housing95#754/14,977
Health64#5,611/15,609
Healthcare35#10,135/15,650
Environment90#1,537/15,453
Education56#6,924/15,649
Infrastructure36#10,051/15,650
Community94#916/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,574/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Iowa 3.2United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHamilton County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAHamilton County value
Public libraries · high4.0 /10k
98/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHamilton County value
Grocery stores · high3.3 /10k
96/100Iowa 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHamilton County value
Rent-burdened households · low32.5%
96/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Time spent in the emergency room · low103 min
95/100Iowa 128 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHamilton County value

Weaknesses

Broadband subscriptions · low78.1%
2/100Iowa 88.8%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Pharmacies · low0.7 /10k
6/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHamilton County value
Primary care physicians · low27 /100k
10/100Iowa 74 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHamilton County value
Job growth · low-2.3%
11/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataHamilton County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high95 mi
11/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauHamilton County value
Mental health providers · low101 /100k
15/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHamilton County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
4.2 /1k (2021) → 1.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−69%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
18.1% (2015-2019) → 6.1% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.9% (2015-2019) → 78.1% (2020-2024)
+5.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
13.8% (2015-2019) → 8.6% (2020-2024)
−5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateWorsening
2.1% (2015-2019) → 7.0% (2020-2024)
+4.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
3.8% (2015-2019) → 7.6% (2020-2024)
+3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Webster City, Iowa improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 11 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.

Declined2

Unemployment+4.9 points2.1% → 7.0%
Uninsured+3.8 points3.8% → 7.6%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Webster City, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	15.5 min2015-2019	18.3 min2020-2024	+2.8 min	Within the margin of error	21%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.1%2015-2019	23.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Broadband subscriptions	72.9%2015-2019	78.1%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Effective property tax rate	1.79%2015-2019	1.40%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	83%
High school diploma or higher	91.4%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Home price to income ratio	1.7×2015-2019	2.0×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	64%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4152015-2019	0.4362020-2024	+0.022	Within the margin of error	32%
Median household income	$55,4462015-2019	$63,4302020-2024	+14%	Within the margin of error	23%
Poverty rate	13.8%2015-2019	8.6%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Rent as share of income	23.4%2015-2019	21.2%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	34.4%2015-2019	32.5%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	63%
Unemployment rate	2.1%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Declined	4%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.8%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Declined	15%

“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 Webster City, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Webster City, 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, Webster City, Iowa itself moved −4.8 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

7,769 residents (±24)

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

3,250 households (±174)

Webster City, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k18%†591
$25k–50k21%†676
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,250 households (±174)

Webster City, Iowa
Iowa share

Own64%2,091
Rent36%1,159

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

3,632 workers (±243)

Webster City, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone88%3,208
Carpool6.9%†252
Public transit0.2%†7

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 Hamilton County, the county holding most of Webster City's residents.

Hamilton County has 367 employer establishments, 246 for every 10,000 residents (0.99× the US rate of 248; 0.95× Iowa's), with 4,559 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,566. The Census Bureau also counts 1,051 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 367; 1,051 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 246; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 4,559
Average annual pay: $54,566; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	38	25.5	1.65×More than typical	165	$59,448	82
Religious organizations	23	15.4	2.78×More than typical	100	$21,240	—
Ambulatory health care services	17	11.4	0.55×Fewer than typical	108	$48,343	29
Building equipment contractors	15	10.1	1.67×More than typical	75	$67,307	19
Restaurants and other eating places	14	9.4	0.51×Fewer than typical	204	$15,755	4
Gasoline stations	13	8.7	2.69×More than typical	259	$30,220	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	8	1.60×More than typical	51	$45,373	21
Construction of buildings	12	8	1.06×About typical	60	$57,617	28
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	11	7.4	2.34×More than typical	40	$56,700	21
Services to buildings and dwellings	11	7.4	1.09×About typical	40	$40,575	76
Insurance agencies and brokerages	9	6	1.37×Too few to compare	47	$62,979	26
Truck transportation	9	6	1.19×Too few to compare	56	$60,339	42

Rank places for an industry Open Hamilton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 14,914 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 $70.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Webster City, Iowa: $9.08 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $70.5K; −32% vs FY2025
Per resident: $9.08; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of Veterans Affairs$70.5K100%

Top recipients

WEBSTER CARE CORP$70.5K100%

Spending by fiscal year

25.6KFY2017
21.6KFY2018
15.9KFY2019
23.3KFY2020
32KFY2021
41.9KFY2022
95.9KFY2023
49.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$70.5K100%

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 Webster City, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Webster City, Iowa's figures are part of those of Hamilton County, IA ($1.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 5.9% of that total.

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

See federal money in Hamilton 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.

Webster City, 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.

Hamilton County93100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Hamilton 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/1983145

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends