Best Places52048, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 52048, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
52048 ranks 10,240th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 52048
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.
52048's strengths and weaknesses
Where 52048 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 90% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
Where 52048 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Short commute38.9 minutes each way, better than only 5% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 52048
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 52048 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,688, 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 52048's effective rate of 0.78%, 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 52048
52048 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 52048.
Who works in 52048, and how
Work in 52048 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 52048
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 52048.
What the weather is like in 52048, month by month
52048 sees roughly 115 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 29, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 21° | 15° |
| April | 59° | 48° | 38° |
| July | 84° | 73° | 64° |
| October | 62° | 52° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 52048
The nearest airport, Dubuque Regional, is about 36 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Mitchell International, about 171 miles away.
The best schools in and around 52048
Schools across 52048 average an A, better than 90% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Clayton Ridge Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Central ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- Edgewood-colesburg Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
Top middle schools
- Clayton Ridge Middle SchoolA · 67% proficient
Top high schools
- Clayton Ridge High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- Edgewood-colesburg High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 52048 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
52048 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 52048 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 52048
Is 52048 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 52048 ranks 10,240th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, quiet, and state finances, and lowest on biking and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 52048 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $217,000. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $75,688 median income, cost of living beats 60% of zip codes.
Is 52048 safe?
Yes, 52048 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $135 per resident a year.
Compare 52048 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 52048. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 52048 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.
52048 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 52048: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 52048: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 52048: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 52048: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
52048 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.