IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Sheldon, IA
Sheldon is a big small town of 5,474 people in O'Brien County, Iowa. It's about 51 miles from Sioux Falls, SD and 178 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 25°F, with about 41 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $193k and rent runs about $930 a month.
5,474people
$193kTypical home
$930/moRent
83° / 25°Summer / winter
41"Snow
240Sunny days
104Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Big small town of 5,474
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 1,140 people per sq mi
- 178 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 51 mi to Sioux Falls, SD
- 32 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $193k (≈$1,215/mo)
- Median rent $930/mo
- Median household income $62k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 1.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 25°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 60°F)
- 240 sunny days a year (85 totally clear)
- 125 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 104 days a year with rain or snow
- 41" of snow a year
- 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 55 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Low violent crime (302 per 100k)
- Very low property crime (356 per 100k)
People
- Median age 38
- 26% of households have kids
- 18% are 65 or older
- 21% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 6% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 18 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 53 mi to FSD airport
- 130 mi to OMA (major hub)
- 133 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 78% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1970
- 95% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,434 ft
- 881 mi to the ocean
- 137 mi to a big lake
- 49 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 50 mi to the nearest ski area
- 8 mi to the nearest campground
- 12 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 25 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 9 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 12 museums within 25 mi
- 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 49 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the top 10% of Iowa districts (reading)
- Grocery store in town
- 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 33 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- Vet in town
- 17 mi to the nearest dog park
- 22 congregations per 10k people
- 17 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- O'Brien County: R+61 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
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk