Best Places51231, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 51231, 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.
51231 ranks 5,219th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 51231
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.
51231's strengths and weaknesses
Where 51231 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 94% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 89% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 51231 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 33% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 51231
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 51231 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $91,882, 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 51231's effective rate of 0.76%, 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 51231
51231 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 51231.
Who works in 51231, and how
Work in 51231 centers on education and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 51231
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 51231.
What the weather is like in 51231, month by month
51231 sees roughly 115 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 27, with lows near 11. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 18° | 11° |
| April | 59° | 45° | 35° |
| July | 83° | 72° | 62° |
| October | 62° | 49° | 38° |
Flying in and out of 51231
The nearest airport, Sioux Gateway/Brig General Bud Day Field, is about 58 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 125 miles away.
The best schools in and around 51231
Schools across 51231 average an A, better than 94% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- East Elementary SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar CenterA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sheldon Middle SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
Top high schools
- Sheldon High SchoolA · 71% proficient
- South O'brien Secondary SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 51231 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
51231 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 51231 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 51231
Is 51231 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 51231 ranks 5,219th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, good schools, and a strong job market, and lowest on tree cover and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 51231 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $193,731. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $91,882 median income, cost of living beats 80% of zip codes.
Is 51231 safe?
Yes, 51231 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $251 per resident a year.
Compare 51231 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 51231. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 51231 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.
51231 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 51231: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 51231: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 51231: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 51231: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
51231 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.