Ida
Iowa

What stands out

Three things set Ida County apart from the other 3,142 counties: the school test score is among the highest in America (3.70 where 3.0 is grade level), the overdose death rate is in the bottom 4% of American counties (0 per 100,000), and the home price against local income is in the bottom 6% of American counties (1.4 years of income). Within Iowa it ranks 1st of 99 counties for the school test score.

Where you are

You live in Ida County, Iowa. 6,969 people live here with you, so most faces are familiar. The population shrank 1.0% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -56).

Iowa cut its income tax to a flat 3.8% in 2025 and stopped taxing retirement income for residents 55 and over in 2023, including pensions, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals. It still has an inheritance tax, but that is being phased out and ends for deaths after 2024. Winters are long and the state's economy still moves with corn, soybean and hog prices.

Money

The typical household here brings in $63,125 a year, higher than 58% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $60,392. Unemployment runs 2.2%, lower than 92% of American counties. 9% of workers work from home; for the rest the average commute is 16 minutes each way.

Iowa takes 3.8% of that median income in state income tax, about $2,399 a year.

Home

The median home costs $160K, cheaper than 80% of American counties, about 1.4 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $727 a month. Property tax is 1.06% of home value, roughly $1,147 a year on that median home, higher than 64% of American counties. 78% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 3.2 per 1,000 residents, lower than 82% of American counties.

A child born here can expect to live 77.1 years, longer than 66% of American counties. There are 3 active physicians in the county, about 4.3 per 10,000 people. 6.1% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

Local students test at grade level 3.60 where 3.0 is national grade level, higher than almost every county in America. 93% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 51 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 75% of eligible voters turned out. Under Iowa law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is banned with narrow exceptions, and marijuana is medical only.

Weather and risk

The year averages 49°F, highs near 60 and lows near 39, colder than 77% of American counties. About 33 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 25 out of 100, safer than 74% of American counties; the county has had 20 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 140 Mbps down, slower than 75% of American counties. There is 1 airport in the county, counting general aviation. For a night or a weekend out: 0.7 full-service restaurants per 1,000 people.