Scores by category

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

Safety65#326/924
Economy77#218/925
Housing96#37/925
Health68#295/925
Healthcare95#44/923
Environment92#76/917
Education60#366/925
Infrastructure75#234/925
Community97#33/925
Leisure & amenities96#35/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high147 /100k
99/100Iowa 74 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high2.8 /10k
99/100Iowa 1.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high60.6%
98/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · low33.5%
97/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Income adjusted for local prices · high$91,424
96/100Iowa $74,320United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Aggregated from counties
Rent as share of income · low23.4%
96/100Iowa 27.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-2.6%
9/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Distance to an airport · high112 mi
11/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · high100 mi
16/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New business applications · low8.7 /1k
17/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · high1,713 /100k
20/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · high40.5%
22/100Iowa 39.7%United States 38.2%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.

Drought exposureImproving
67% (2021) → 9% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−58 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateImproving
5.1 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$54,761 (2019) → $91,424 (2024)
+67%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
New business applicationsImproving
5.3 /1k (2020) → 8.7 /1k (2025)
+64%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.9% (2015-2019) → 88.6% (2020-2024)
+9.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
77.3% (2010 & 2021) → 86.9% (2022 & 2024)
+9.6 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%

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, Mason City, IA micropolitan area improved on 10 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 12 moved within the margin of error and 4 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.

Improved10

Real income+67%$54,761 → $91,424
Traffic deaths−32%18.3 /100k → 12.4 /100k
New businesses+64%5.3 /1k → 8.7 /1k
Violent crime−28%335 /100k → 242 /100k
Broadband+9.7 points78.9% → 88.6%

Declined5

Overdose deaths+36%9.2 /100k → 12.5 /100k
Grocery stores−15%2.4 /10k → 2.0 /10k
Firearm deaths+23%8.2 /100k → 10.1 /100k
Gyms−22%2.6 /10k → 2.0 /10k
Pharmacies−21%1.8 /10k → 1.4 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Mason City, IA micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	7.5 /10k2020	8.0 /10k2025	+6.8%	Improved	45%
Average commute time	17.7 min2015-2019	16.5 min2020-2024	−1.3 min	Within the margin of error	91%
Average weekly wage	$8752020	$1,0762025	+23%	Improved	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.7%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Broadband subscriptions	78.9%2015-2019	88.6%2020-2024	+9.7 points	Improved	58%
Child poverty rate	11.9%2015-2019	13.5%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Distance to an airport	111 mi2020	111 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	80%
Drug overdose deaths	9.2 /100k2020	12.5 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+36%	Declined	12%
Effective property tax rate	1.30%2015-2019	1.22%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Firearm deaths	8.2 /100k2020	10.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+23%	Declined	23%
Grocery stores	2.4 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	15%
Gyms and fitness centers	2.6 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	−22%	Declined	18%
High school diploma or higher	92.8%2015-2019	94.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.4×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	93%
Income adjusted for local prices	$54,7612019	$91,4242024	+67%	Improved	100%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4432015-2019	0.4492020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	37%
Median household income	$54,3882015-2019	$68,9262020-2024	+27%	Improved	49%
New business applications	5.3 /1k2020	8.7 /1k2025	+64%	Improved	75%
Pharmacies	1.8 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	−21%	Declined	18%
Poverty rate	9.9%2015-2019	10.2%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Property crime rate	2,460 /100k2020	1,713 /100k2025	−30%	Improved	43%
Public libraries	2.8 /10k2019	2.8 /10k2024	+0.5%	Little change	67%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	23.4%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Rent-burdened households	39.4%2015-2019	33.5%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Restaurants and bars	11.9 /10k2020	12.1 /10k2025	+1.5%	Little change	52%
Suicide rate	15.4 /100k2020	15.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.5%	Little change	53%
Traffic deaths	18.3 /100k2015-2019	12.4 /100k2020-2024	−32%	Improved	95%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2020	3.3%2025	−1.8 points	Improved	16%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.0%2015-2019	6.3%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Violent crime rate	335 /100k2020	242 /100k2025	−28%	Improved	71%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 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; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; 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 Mason City, IA micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mason City, IA 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, Mason City, IA micropolitan area itself moved +0.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

49,982 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

22,716 households (±399)

Mason City, IA micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k15%3,470
$25k–50k21%4,872
$50k–75k17%3,868

Homes

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

Owners and renters

22,716 households (±399)

Mason City, IA micropolitan area
United States share

Own72%16,389
Rent28%6,327

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

24,910 workers (±504)

Mason City, IA micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone79%19,765
Carpool7.8%1,939
Public transit0.7%†164

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 Mason City, IA 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.

Mason City, IA has 1,520 employer establishments, 305 for every 10,000 residents (1.23× the US rate of 248), with 21,658 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,730. The Census Bureau also counts 3,383 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,520; 3,383 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 305; US 248
Paid employees: 21,658
Average annual pay: $49,730; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Mason City, IA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	110	22.1	1.20×About typical	1,904	$20,133	15
Specialty trade contractors	96	19.3	1.25×About typical	585	$67,484	279
Ambulatory health care services	86	17.3	0.83×About typical	2,052	$81,581	121
Religious organizations	55	11.1	1.99×More than typical	361	$24,360	—
Full-service restaurants	51	10.2	1.33×More than typical	824	$22,317	6
Lessors of real estate	45	9	0.73×Fewer than typical	85	$44,000	445
Services to buildings and dwellings	44	8.8	1.31×More than typical	165	$32,485	236
Truck transportation	43	8.6	1.71×More than typical	241	$62,676	75
Construction of buildings	42	8.4	1.12×About typical	398	$72,638	116
Automotive repair and maintenance	41	8.2	1.64×More than typical	223	$42,543	58
Limited-service restaurants	39	7.8	0.98×About typical	882	$18,709	8
Insurance agencies and brokerages	37	7.4	1.69×More than typical	122	$61,115	70

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 49,757 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 $1.9M on contracts performed in Mason City, IA micropolitan area: $37.48 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $1.9M; −9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $37.48; US $1,995
Sole-source: 2.7%; 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

Top recipients

GOOD SHEPHERD GERIATRIC CENTER, INC.$1.4M76%
VERNADERO GROUP INC$224K12%
PETROBLEND CORP.$174.9K9.4%
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY$50K2.7%

Spending by fiscal year

1.1MFY2017
722.8KFY2018
677.2KFY2019
726.4KFY2020
821.1KFY2021
1.1MFY2022
1.4MFY2023
16.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$1.4M76%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$224K12%
Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$174.9K9.4%
Administration of economic programs · 9261$50K2.7%

Largest awards

GAS AND ELECTRIC SERVICES$15.3M
PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY· Cerro Gordo County, IA· Facilities & utilities· Aug 8, 2023 – Mar 25, 2026· N6247323C4401
EXPRESS REPORT: NURSING HOME SERVICES - 1ST QUARTER SPEND$1.4M
GOOD SHEPHERD GERIATRIC CENTER, INC.· Cerro Gordo County, IA· Health & medical· Feb 27, 2026 – Feb 27, 2026· 36C26326K0085
THIS CONTRACT TASK ORDER (CTO) IS TO PROVIDE BIOLOGICAL EFFORTS TO SUPPORT BIOLOGICAL OPINIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTEGRATED NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLANS (INRMP) FOR POINT MUGU, PORT HUENEME, AND SAN NICOLAS ISLAND.$224K
VERNADERO GROUP INC· Cerro Gordo County, IA· Facilities & utilities· Mar 4, 2026 – Mar 4, 2026· N6247326F0200

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 $411.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Mason City, IA micropolitan area: $8,269 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $411.1M; −4.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,269; US $12,957
Loan face value: $7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 7.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$254.3M62%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$25.6M6.2%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$23.1M5.6%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$19.9M4.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$19.2M4.7%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$10.8M2.6%
20.901 · Payments for Essential Air Services$7.2M1.8%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$6.4M1.6%

Top recipients (organizations)

IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$11.6M2.8%
AMES, IA
SKYWEST AIRLINES INC$7.2M1.8%
SAINT GEORGE, UT
MASON CITY AIRPORT COMMISSION$6.6M1.6%
MASON CITY, IA
NORTH IOWA AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$4.4M1.1%
MASON CITY, IA
NORTH IOWA COMMUNITY ACTION$3.9M

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$305M74%
Farm Service Agency$30.8M7.5%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$26.9M6.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$11.8M2.9%
Department of Transportation
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation

Assistance by fiscal year

354.5MFY2021
342.7MFY2022
383.3MFY2023
368.8MFY2024
432.2MFY2025
411.1MFY2026

County aggregates

82%

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 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Mason City, IA

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

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Mason CityPrincipal city27,050

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
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M32380

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Mason City, IA 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 Mason City, IA

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

Improved10

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 programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought