Best PlacesKirkwood, Coralville, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Kirkwood, Coralville, 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.
Kirkwood, Coralville ranks 2,932nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Kirkwood, Coralville
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.
Kirkwood, Coralville's strengths and weaknesses
Where Kirkwood, Coralville ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$773 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA−, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Kirkwood, Coralville ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Household income$55,941 median, better than only 22% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Kirkwood, Coralville
A household needs to earn about $77,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Kirkwood, Coralville home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $55,941, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 Kirkwood, Coralville's effective rate of 1.61%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Kirkwood, Coralville
Kirkwood, Coralville runs younger 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 Kirkwood, Coralville.
Who works in Kirkwood, Coralville, and how
Work in Kirkwood, Coralville centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 76%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 13%
Life in Kirkwood, Coralville
Kirkwood, Coralville has more restaurants and bars per resident than 88% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Kirkwood, Coralville and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Kirkwood, Coralville, month by month
Kirkwood, Coralville sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 23° | 16° |
| April | 63° | 51° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 76° | 67° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Kirkwood, Coralville
The nearest airport, The Eastern Iowa, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Chicago O'Hare International, about 190 miles away.
The best schools in and around Kirkwood, Coralville
Schools across Kirkwood, Coralville average an A−, better than 92% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Norman Borlaug Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Tiffin ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
Top middle schools
- Clear Creek Amana Middle SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
- Northwest Junior High SchoolA+ · 68% proficient
Top high schools
- Clear Creek Amana High SchoolA · 75% proficient
- West Senior High SchoolA · 73% proficient
- Iowa City High SchoolA− · 66% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Kirkwood, Coralville school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Kirkwood, Coralville 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 Kirkwood, Coralville against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Kirkwood, Coralville
Is Kirkwood, Coralville a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Kirkwood, Coralville ranks 2,932nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, affordable childcare, and good schools, and lowest on disaster risk and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Kirkwood, Coralville expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $263,876. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $55,941 median income, cost of living beats 33% of neighborhoods.
Is Kirkwood, Coralville safe?
Yes, Kirkwood, Coralville is safer than 66% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $382 per resident a year.
Compare Kirkwood, Coralville with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Kirkwood, Coralville. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Kirkwood, Coralville 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.
Kirkwood, Coralville detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Kirkwood, Coralville: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Kirkwood, Coralville: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Kirkwood, Coralville: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Kirkwood, Coralville: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Kirkwood, Coralville 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.