Best Places50607, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50607, 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.
50607 ranks 11,915th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 50607
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.
50607's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50607 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 138 pleasant days a year, better than 85% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 83% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 50607 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50607
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50607 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,924, 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 50607's effective rate of 1.22%, 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 50607
50607 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 50607.
Who works in 50607, and how
Work in 50607 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 50607
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 50607.
What the weather is like in 50607, month by month
50607 sees roughly 138 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 12° |
| April | 58° | 47° | 37° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 64° |
| October | 62° | 51° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 50607
The nearest airport, Waterloo Regional, is about 34 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 174 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50607
Schools across 50607 average a B+, better than 75% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Starmont Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- East Buchanan Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Wings Park Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Buchanan Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Starmont Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Oelwein Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Independence Junior Senior High SchoolA · 73% proficient
- Starmont High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Oelwein High SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50607 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50607 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 50607 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50607
Is 50607 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50607 ranks 11,915th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, few empty homes, and the weather, and lowest on a weak job market and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50607 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $152,811. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $65,924 median income, cost of living beats 48% of zip codes.
Is 50607 safe?
Yes, 50607 is safer than 79% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $221 per resident a year.
Compare 50607 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50607. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50607 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.
50607 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50607: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50607: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50607: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50607: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50607 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.