Is Dow City, IA a Good Place to Live?
Dow City is a small town of 411 in Iowa, with a median household income of $46,667 and a 0.7% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 86 (US average = 100), which is 14% below the national average.
Strengths: Dow City stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, solid school ratings (B), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Dow City is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Dow City city data on this page comes from official government sources — the US Census Bureau, FBI, NCES, BEA, and NOAA — updated annually.
Cost of Living
Index: 86.4Dow City's overall cost of living index is 86.4, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Dow City costs roughly 14% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Dow City, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $86,900 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $674 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 67.0% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $46,667 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafeDow City's violent crime rate is 71.3 per 100,000 residents — 81% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Dow City is served primarily by Boyer Valley Comm School District. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11.7:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Dow City, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | Boyer Valley Comm School District | — |
| Elementary Schools | 1 | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 11.7:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 4.3% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 92.0% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Dow City sees average highs of 27.4°F in January and 83.1°F in July, with 33.6 inches of annual precipitation and 34.5 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Dow City, IA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 27.4°F |
| Average High — July | 83.1°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 33.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 34.5" |
Demographics
| Metric | Dow City, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 411 | — |
| Median Age | 47.1 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 0.7% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 19.5 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 92.7% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.0% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.5% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 16.3% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 20.4% | 16.8% |