Best Places50653, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50653, 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.
50653 ranks 7,202nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 50653
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.
50653's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50653 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 87% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 87% of zip codes
Where 50653 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50653
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50653 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,245, 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 50653's effective rate of 1.05%, 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 50653
50653's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 50653.
Who works in 50653, and how
Work in 50653 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 83%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 50653
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 50653.
What the weather is like in 50653, month by month
50653 sees roughly 131 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 27, with lows near 12. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 19° | 12° |
| April | 58° | 46° | 37° |
| July | 82° | 72° | 64° |
| October | 61° | 50° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 50653
The nearest airport, Mason City Municipal, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 134 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50653
Schools across 50653 average an A−, better than 87% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Butler ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Rrmr Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Charles City MsA− · 55% proficient
Top high schools
- Rockford Junior-senior High SchoolA− · 67% proficient
- North Butler Jr/sr High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- Charles City High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50653 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50653 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 50653 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50653
Is 50653 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50653 ranks 7,202nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, a stable housing market, and state finances, and lowest on cell coverage and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50653 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $196,373. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $84,245 median income, cost of living beats 83% of zip codes.
Is 50653 safe?
Yes, 50653 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $253 per resident a year.
Compare 50653 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50653. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50653 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.
50653 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50653: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50653: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50653: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50653: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50653 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.