Best Places52403, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 52403, 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.
52403 ranks 5,430th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 52403
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.
52403's strengths and weaknesses
Where 52403 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Short commute18.1 minutes each way, better than 91% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 84% of zip codes
Where 52403 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 52403
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 52403 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,536, 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 52403's effective rate of 1.53%, 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 52403
52403 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 52403.
Who works in 52403, and how
Work in 52403 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 52403
52403 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 83% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 52403 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 52403, month by month
52403 sees roughly 110 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 52403
The nearest airport, The Eastern Iowa, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 191 miles away.
The best schools in and around 52403
Schools across 52403 average a B, better than 70% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Washington Elementary SchoolA+ · 83% proficient
- Prairie Hill Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Arthur Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mount Vernon Middle SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Harding Middle SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Vernon Middle SchoolA · 64% proficient
Top high schools
- Mount Vernon High SchoolA · 79% proficient
- Marion High SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Prairie High SchoolA · 67% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 52403 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
52403 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 52403 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 52403 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 81% of zip codes and 15% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 70% of zip codes and health care access beats 77%.
Common questions about living in 52403
Is 52403 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 52403 ranks 5,430th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, short commutes, and biking, and lowest on property taxes and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 52403 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $209,694. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $85,536 median income, cost of living beats 81% of zip codes.
Is 52403 safe?
Yes, 52403 is safer than 68% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $268 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 52403?
July highs average about 84 degrees, and January highs near 29 with lows near 14. That works out to about 110 pleasant days a year, more than 70% of zip codes.
Is 52403 good for families?
Schools beat 70% of zip codes, crime safety beats 68%, and childcare runs $727 a month.
Compare 52403 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 52403. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 52403 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.
52403 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 52403: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 52403: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 52403: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 52403: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
52403 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.