Best Places52627, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 52627, 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.
52627 ranks 14,040th 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 52627
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.
52627's strengths and weaknesses
Where 52627 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 83% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 77% of zip codes
Where 52627 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 52627
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 52627 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,337, 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 52627's effective rate of 1.40%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 52627
52627'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 52627.
Who works in 52627, and how
Work in 52627 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 52627
52627 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 71% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 89% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 52627 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 52627, month by month
52627 sees roughly 94 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 26° | 20° |
| April | 65° | 53° | 43° |
| July | 85° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 67° | 56° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 52627
The nearest airport, Southeast Iowa Regional, is about 15 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is St Louis Lambert International, about 140 miles away.
The best schools in and around 52627
Schools across 52627 average a B+, better than 77% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Central Lee Elementary SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Richardson Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Central Lee Middle SchoolA+ · 79% proficient
- Fort Madison Middle SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- Central Lee High SchoolA · 73% proficient
- Fort Madison High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 52627 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
52627 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 52627 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 52627
Is 52627 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 52627 ranks 14,040th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, a stable housing market, and walkability, and lowest on a weak job market and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 52627 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $137,128. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $62,337 median income, cost of living beats 49% of zip codes.
Is 52627 safe?
Yes, 52627 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $258 per resident a year.
Compare 52627 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 52627. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 52627 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.
52627 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 52627: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 52627: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 52627: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 52627: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
52627 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.