Best Places50273, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50273, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
50273 ranks 4,729th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 50273
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.
50273's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50273 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 91% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 50273 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 33% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 82 pleasant days a year, better than only 46% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50273
A household needs to earn about $72,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50273 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $80,614, 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 50273's effective rate of 1.56%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 50273
50273's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 50273.
Who works in 50273, and how
Work in 50273 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 50273
50273 has more parkland per resident than 94% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 50273 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 50273, month by month
50273 sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 23° | 15° |
| April | 66° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 66° |
| October | 68° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 50273
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 97 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50273
Schools across 50273 average an A, better than 91% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Van Meter Elementary SchoolA+ · 81% proficient
- Earlham Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Winterset Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Van Meter Middle SchoolA+ · 86% proficient
- Adm Middle SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Earlham Middle SchoolA+ · 72% proficient
Top high schools
- Adm Senior High SchoolA · 79% proficient
- Winterset Senior High SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Earlham Senior High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50273 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50273 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 50273 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50273
Is 50273 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50273 ranks 4,729th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, state finances, and good schools, and lowest on property taxes and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50273 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $251,028. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $80,614 median income, cost of living beats 79% of zip codes.
Is 50273 safe?
Yes, 50273 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $309 per resident a year.
Compare 50273 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50273. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50273 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.
50273 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50273: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50273: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50273: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50273: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50273 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.