Best Places52339, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 52339, 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.
52339 ranks 21,480th 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 52339
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.
52339's strengths and weaknesses
Where 52339 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute19.4 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 52339 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 52339
A household needs to earn about $33,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 52339 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,039, 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 52339's effective rate of 1.54%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 52339
52339'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 52339.
Who works in 52339, and how
Work in 52339 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 52339
52339 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 67% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 52339 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 52339, month by month
52339 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 31, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 23° | 16° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 40° |
| July | 85° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 65° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 52339
The nearest airport, Waterloo Regional, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 176 miles away.
The best schools in and around 52339
Schools across 52339 average a B, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- South Tama County Elementary SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- East Marshall Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Grinnell Community Middle SchoolA+ · 71% proficient
- East Marshall Middle SchoolA+ · 69% proficient
- South Tama County Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
Top high schools
- Grinnell Community Senior High SchoolA · 78% proficient
- East Marshall Senior High SchoolA− · 65% proficient
- South Tama County High SchoolB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 52339 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
52339 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 52339 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 52339
Is 52339 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 52339 ranks 21,480th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, short commutes, and walkability, and lowest on a weak job market and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 52339 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $115,539. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $64,039 median income, cost of living beats 38% of zip codes.
Is 52339 safe?
52339 is safer than 47% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $315 per resident a year.
Compare 52339 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 52339. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 52339 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.
52339 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 52339: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 52339: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 52339: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 52339: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
52339 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.