Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety69#290/924
Economy54#428/925
Housing43#527/925
Health47#487/925
Healthcare89#106/923
Environment49#465/917
Education60#373/925
Infrastructure68#299/925
Community76#224/925
Leisure & amenities75#229/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
97/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Home price to income ratio · low2.1×
96/100Iowa 2.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low4.6%
96/100Iowa 6.4%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Social associations · high17.1 /10k
96/100Iowa 14.3 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Traffic deaths · low8.5 /100k
89/100Iowa 11.0 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high51.2%
88/100Iowa 51.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high36.4 /100k
2/100Iowa 16.9 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.37%
13/100Iowa 1.33%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Drug overdose deaths · high26.6 /100k
15/100Iowa 9.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
New business applications · low9.8 /1k
31/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high79 mi
31/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high107 /100k
32/100Iowa 76 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drug overdose deathsWorsening
7.8 /100k (2019) → 26.6 /100k (2024)
+242%5 yearsUS 20.0 /100k → 22.3 /100k
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 37% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+37 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.4 /10k (2020) → 0.9 /10k (2025)
+105%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
New homes permittedImproving
1.1 /1k (2021) → 1.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+66%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
62.4% (2010 & 2021) → 72.7% (2022 & 2024)
+10 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Suicide rateWorsening
24.6 /100k (2020) → 36.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+48%6 yearsUS 13.9 /100k → 14.1 /100k

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, Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area improved on 11 of 28 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 7 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Gyms+105%0.4 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Traffic deaths−24%11.2 /100k → 8.5 /100k
Uninsured−1.7 points6.3% → 4.6%
Child poverty−5.6 points23.1% → 17.4%
Real income+35%$55,478 → $74,621

Declined5

Suicides+48%24.6 /100k → 36.4 /100k
Arts & recreation−16%6.0 /10k → 5.0 /10k
Grocery stores−20%2.0 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Homicides+11%2.5 /100k → 2.8 /100k
Firearm deaths+8.1%14.1 /100k → 15.2 /100k

All 28 measures

Change of every measure of Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.0 /10k2020	5.0 /10k2025	−16%	Declined	8%
Average commute time	18.2 min2015-2019	19.0 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Average weekly wage	$8522020	$1,0422025	+22%	Improved	39%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.8%2015-2019	23.4%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Improved	67%
Broadband subscriptions	78.5%2015-2019	86.8%2020-2024	+8.4 points	Improved	44%
Child poverty rate	23.1%2015-2019	17.4%2020-2024	−5.6 points	Improved	81%
Distance to an airport	79 mi2020	79 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	86%
Effective property tax rate	1.57%2015-2019	1.37%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	73%
Firearm deaths	14.1 /100k2020	15.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+8.1%	Declined	37%
Grocery stores	2.0 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−20%	Declined	9%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.4 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+105%	Improved	97%
High school diploma or higher	91.9%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	92%
Homicide rate	2.5 /100k2020	2.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+11%	Declined	15%
Income adjusted for local prices	$55,4782019	$74,6212024	+35%	Improved	68%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4532015-2019	0.4332020-2024	−0.020	Within the margin of error	90%
Median household income	$51,6672015-2019	$62,8112020-2024	+22%	Improved	20%
New business applications	7.1 /1k2020	9.8 /1k2025	+38%	Improved	38%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	+2.6%	Little change	79%
Poverty rate	14.9%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Public libraries	0.9 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	+3.6%	Little change	83%
Rent as share of income	30.4%2015-2019	29.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Rent-burdened households	50.8%2015-2019	49.6%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Restaurants and bars	12.2 /10k2020	12.0 /10k2025	−1.2%	Little change	40%
Suicide rate	24.6 /100k2020	36.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+48%	Declined	9%
Traffic deaths	11.2 /100k2015-2019	8.5 /100k2020-2024	−24%	Improved	91%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2020	4.2%2025	−3 points	Improved	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.3%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Improved	82%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area 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, Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area itself moved +2.5 points in standing on average over the same 27 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

44,680 residents

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

19,882 households (±339)

Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k18%3,590
$25k–50k21%4,203
$50k–75k19%3,730

Homes

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

Owners and renters

19,882 households (±339)

Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area
United States share

Own76%15,016
Rent24%4,866

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.4 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

20,813 workers (±522)

Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone84%17,387
Carpool8.9%1,859
Public transit0.9%†180

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area.

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.

Burlington, IA-IL has 1,170 employer establishments, 263 for every 10,000 residents (1.06× the US rate of 248), with 18,811 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,069. The Census Bureau also counts 2,933 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,170; 2,933 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 263; US 248
Paid employees: 18,811
Average annual pay: $48,069; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Burlington, IA-IL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	91	20.5	0.98×About typical	1,506	$70,771	107
Restaurants and other eating places	74	16.7	0.91×About typical	1,512	$17,747	13
Specialty trade contractors	60	13.5	0.87×About typical	518	$66,384	257
Religious organizations	56	12.6	2.27×More than typical	183	$22,486	—
Lessors of real estate	40	9	0.73×Fewer than typical	111	$34,369	317
Offices of physicians	39	8.8	1.36×More than typical	874	$83,995	12
Individual and family services	37	8.3	2.98×More than typical	339	$35,448	15
Limited-service restaurants	35	7.9	0.98×About typical	847	$16,207	5
Truck transportation	34	7.7	1.51×More than typical	320	$57,688	87
Automotive repair and maintenance	33	7.4	1.48×More than typical	143	$42,713	45
Full-service restaurants	32	7.2	0.94×About typical	546	$20,619	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	32	7.2	1.07×About typical	240	$36,017	215

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 44,405 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $94.4M on contracts performed in Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area: $2,142 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $94.4M; −90% vs FY2025
Per resident: $2,142; US $1,994
Sole-source: 10%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.1%; 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 the Army$94M99.7%
Department of the Navy$92.4K0.1%
Environmental Protection Agency$90K0.1%
Social Security Administration$78.8K0.1%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$65K0.1%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$42.9K0.0%

Top recipients

AMERICAN ORDNANCE LLC$91.1M97%
CAPE-WESTON JV1 LLC$3.1M3.2%
OQUAWKA BOATS & FABRICATIONS INC$107.9K0.1%
TETRA TECH, INC.$90K0.1%
FRANCONIA REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC.$78.8K0.1%

Spending by fiscal year

168.7MFY2017
312.9MFY2018
276.6MFY2019
269.8MFY2020
150.6MFY2021
124.9MFY2022
705MFY2023
351.4M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$59.8M63%
Facilities support services · 5612$31.2M33%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$3M3.2%
Ship and boat building · 3366$107.9K0.1%
Other chemical product and preparation manufacturing · 3259$92.4K0.1%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$90K

Largest awards

DESIGN, BUILD, AND COMMISSION A MODERN 155MM LOAD, ASSEMBLE, AND PACK (LAP) FACILITY AT THE IOWA ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT (IAAAP)$635.2M
MSM GROUP NORTH AMERICA INC.· Des Moines County, IA· Facilities & utilities· Aug 15, 2025 – Apr 24, 2026· W519TC25C0032
AWARD OF FY20 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE M795 TNT 155MM PROJECTILE.$218.1M
AMERICAN ORDNANCE LLC· Des Moines County, IA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 28, 2020 – Mar 9, 2026· W52P1J20C0035
UKRAINE: MULTI-YEAR, UCA DELIVERY ORDER FOR M1128 LAP PROJECTILES$193M
AMERICAN ORDNANCE LLC· Des Moines County, IA· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Sep 27, 2023 – Dec 19, 2025· W15QKN23F0559

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $343.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area: $7,802 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $343.8M; −10% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,802; US $12,955
Loan face value: $2.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 4.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$204.1M59%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$26.9M7.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$22.2M6.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$18.7M5.4%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$15.5M4.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$9.2M2.7%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$6.5M1.9%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$6.2M1.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

CORPORATE FLIGHT MANAGEMENT, INC.$6.9M2.0%
SMYRNA, TN
ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$6.9M2.0%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
SOUTHEASTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE$3.4M1.0%
WEST BURLINGTON, IA
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF SOUTHEASTERN IOWA INC$2.8M0.8%
WEST BURLINGTON, IA
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$258.8M75%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$25.1M7.3%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board$15.5M4.5%
Farm Service Agency$9.5M2.8%
Department of Agriculture
Federal Highway Administration$9.3M2.7%

Assistance by fiscal year

503.1MFY2021
321.1MFY2022
324MFY2023
366.5MFY2024
383.6MFY2025
343.8MFY2026

County aggregates

87%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Burlington, IA-IL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BurlingtonPrincipal city23,728

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Iowa

Areas based in Iowa, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Burlington, IA-IL micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Burlington, IA-IL

States

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Iowa

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type