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Small town

Living in State Center, IA

State Center is a small town of 1,412 people in Marshall County, Iowa. It's about 23 miles from Ames, IA and 204 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 27°F, with about 30 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $167k and rent runs about $766 a month.

1,412people
$167kTypical home
$766/moRent
83° / 27°Summer / winter
30"Snow
233Sunny days
91Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,412
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 1,415 people per sq mi
  • 204 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 23 mi to Ames, IA
  • 13 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $167k (≈$1,056/mo)
  • Median rent $766/mo
  • Median household income $84k
  • Property tax about 1.3% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 83°F
  • Winter highs around 27°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 233 sunny days a year (82 totally clear)
  • 132 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 91 days a year with rain or snow
  • 30" of snow a year
  • 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 40 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Low violent crime (283 per 100k), county-wide
  • Low property crime (1,248 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 41
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 18% are 65 or older
  • 31% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 27 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 42 mi to DSM airport
  • 42 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 79 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 85% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1957
  • 89% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,076 ft
  • 820 mi to the ocean
  • 206 mi to a big lake
  • 49 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 35 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 15 mi to the nearest campground
  • 19 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 85 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 20 bars within 25 mi
  • 21 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 17 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • 23 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 10% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 22 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 13 mi to the nearest vet
  • 22 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 9 congregations per 10k people
  • 24 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Marshall County: R+16 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Moderate flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near State Center

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