Best Places50262, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50262, 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.
50262 ranks 13,548th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 50262
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.
50262's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50262 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 50262 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50262
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50262 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,974, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 50262's effective rate of 1.25%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 50262
50262 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65, 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 50262.
Who works in 50262, and how
Work in 50262 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 50262
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 50262.
What the weather is like in 50262, month by month
50262 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 25° | 18° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 50262
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 47 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 113 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50262
Schools across 50262 average a B+, better than 79% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Clarke Community Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Clarke Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Central Decatur Ms/hs High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- Clarke Community High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50262 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50262 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 50262 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50262
Is 50262 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50262 ranks 13,548th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, state finances, and low crime, and lowest on walkability and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50262 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $131,792. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $75,974 median income, cost of living beats 58% of zip codes.
Is 50262 safe?
Yes, 50262 is safer than 91% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $178 per resident a year.
Compare 50262 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50262. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50262 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.
50262 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50262: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50262: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50262: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50262: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50262 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.