Best Places52361, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 52361, 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.
52361 ranks 6,216th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and tree cover ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 52361
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.
52361's strengths and weaknesses
Where 52361 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 98% of zip codes
- School gradeA+, better than 97% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 52361 ranks low
- Tree shadeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 32% of zip codes
- Household income$64,838 median, better than only 33% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 52361
A household needs to earn about $58,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 52361 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,838, 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 52361's effective rate of 1.14%, 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 52361
52361's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 52361.
Who works in 52361, and how
Work in 52361 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 52361
52361 has more parkland per resident than 93% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 52361 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 52361, month by month
52361 sees roughly 109 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 29, with lows near 14. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 21° | 14° |
| April | 61° | 49° | 38° |
| July | 84° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 64° | 52° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 52361
The nearest airport, The Eastern Iowa, is about 22 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 202 miles away.
The best schools in and around 52361
Schools across 52361 average an A+, better than 97% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Mary Welsh ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Clear Creek Elementary SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- English Valleys Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Clear Creek Amana Middle SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
Top high schools
- Williamsburg Jr-sr High SchoolA · 79% proficient
- Clear Creek Amana High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- English Valleys Jr-sr High SchoolA− · 62% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 52361 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
52361 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 52361 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 52361
Is 52361 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 52361 ranks 6,216th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, civic engagement, and good schools, and lowest on tree cover and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 52361 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $213,107. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $64,838 median income, cost of living beats 49% of zip codes.
Is 52361 safe?
Yes, 52361 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
Compare 52361 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 52361. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 52361 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.
52361 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 52361: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 52361: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 52361: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 52361: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
52361 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.