IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Paton, IA
Paton is a tiny town of 273 people in Greene County, Iowa. It's about 34 miles from Ames, IA and 200 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 84°F and winter highs 28°F, with about 33 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $75k and rent runs about $653 a month.
273people
$75kTypical home
$653/moRent
84° / 28°Summer / winter
33"Snow
237Sunny days
108Rain/snow days
Is Paton right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Tiny town of 273
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 486 people per sq mi
- 200 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 34 mi to Ames, IA
- 21 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $75k (≈$473/mo)
- Median rent $653/mo
- Median household income $63k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 84°F
- Winter highs around 28°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 62°F)
- 237 sunny days a year (84 totally clear)
- 128 cloudy days a year
- 40 of 90 winter days are gray
- 108 days a year with rain or snow
- 33" of snow a year
- 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 39 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (127 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (610 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 35
- 23% of households have kids
- 22% are 65 or older
- 21% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 26 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 27 mi to FOD airport
- 53 mi to DSM (major hub)
- 77 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 89% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1946
- 88% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,096 ft
- 842 mi to the ocean
- 227 mi to a big lake
- 30 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 18 mi to the nearest ski area
- 13 mi to the nearest campground
- 11 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 41 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- 10 bars within 25 mi
- 12 coffee shops within 25 mi
- 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
- 16 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 70 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 32% of Iowa districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 12 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 35 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 24 mi to the nearest vet
- 24 mi to the nearest dog park
- 16 congregations per 10k people
- 11 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Greene County: R+33 in 2024
- Iowa: R+13 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Moderate flood risk
- Low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Moderate heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk
Some of this place's Census numbers are blended with county figures because its survey sample is small.