Best Places51346, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 51346, 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.
51346 ranks 6,000th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on civic engagement by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 51346
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.
51346's strengths and weaknesses
Where 51346 ranks high
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 93% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Short commute19.8 minutes each way, better than 86% of zip codes
Where 51346 ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 32% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 51346
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 51346 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $71,370, 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 51346's effective rate of 0.88%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 51346
51346 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 51346.
Who works in 51346, and how
Work in 51346 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 51346
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 51346.
What the weather is like in 51346, month by month
51346 sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 28, with lows near 10. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 19° | 10° |
| April | 60° | 47° | 36° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 63° |
| October | 63° | 50° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 51346
The nearest airport, Joe Foss Field, is about 70 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 132 miles away.
The best schools in and around 51346
Schools across 51346 average an A, better than 93% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hartley-melvin-sanborn Elementary SchoolA · 70% proficient
- South O'brien Elem Sch Primghar CenterA− · 60% proficient
- Clay Central-everly ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
Top middle schools
- Spencer Middle SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
- Hartley-melvin-sanborn Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top high schools
- Hartley-melvin-sanborn High SchoolA · 72% proficient
- Spencer High SchoolA− · 66% proficient
- South O'brien Secondary SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 51346 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
51346 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 51346 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 51346
Is 51346 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 51346 ranks 6,000th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on civic engagement, state finances, and good schools, and lowest on distance from a big city and tree cover. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 51346 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $155,950. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $71,370 median income, cost of living beats 53% of zip codes.
Is 51346 safe?
Yes, 51346 is safer than 74% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $223 per resident a year.
Compare 51346 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 51346. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 51346 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.
51346 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 51346: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 51346: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 51346: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 51346: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
51346 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.