Best Places50027, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50027, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
50027 ranks 15,086th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 50027
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
50027's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50027 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 92% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Short commute20.1 minutes each way, better than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 50027 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 55 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Household income$54,794 median, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50027
A household needs to earn about $68,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50027 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $54,794, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 50027's effective rate of 1.20%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 50027
50027 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 50027.
Who works in 50027, and how
Work in 50027 centers on manufacturing and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in 50027
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 50027.
What the weather is like in 50027, month by month
50027 sees roughly 55 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 25° | 18° |
| April | 65° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 50027
The nearest airport, The Eastern Iowa, is about 48 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 178 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50027
Schools across 50027 average an A, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Mahaska Elementary SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Montezuma Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Tri-county Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
Top middle schools
- Montezuma Junior High SchoolA · 60% proficient
Top high schools
- Montezuma High SchoolA · 70% proficient
- North Mahaska Jr-sr High SchoolA− · 64% proficient
- Tri-county Jr/sr High SchoolB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50027 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50027 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 50027 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50027
Is 50027 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50027 ranks 15,086th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, good schools, and civic engagement, and lowest on the weather and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50027 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $246,123. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $54,794 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 50027 safe?
Yes, 50027 is safer than 77% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $211 per resident a year.
Compare 50027 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50027. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50027 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
50027 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50027: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50027: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50027: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50027: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50027 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.