Is Prairie City, IA a Good Place to Live?
Prairie City is a small town of 1,762 in Iowa, with a median household income of $80,000 and a 5.8% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 93 (US average = 100), which is 7% below the national average.
Strengths: Prairie City stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, lower-than-average crime, solid school ratings (B+), short average commutes.
Trade-offs: Potential downsides include an elevated unemployment rate. Whether Prairie City is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Prairie 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: 92.7Prairie City's overall cost of living index is 92.7, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Prairie City costs roughly 7% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Prairie City, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $176,800 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $863 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 69.3% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $80,000 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Very SafePrairie City's violent crime rate is 58.2 per 100,000 residents — 85% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
Prairie City is served primarily by PCM Comm School District. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13.8:1 (better than the national average of ~16:1).
| Metric | Prairie City, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | PCM Comm School District | — |
| Elementary Schools | 2 | — |
| Middle Schools | 1 | — |
| High Schools | 1 | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | 13.8:1 | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 30.8% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 97.6% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Prairie City sees average highs of 30.0°F in January and 83.5°F in July, with 36.6 inches of annual precipitation and 28.7 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Prairie City, IA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 30.0°F |
| Average High — July | 83.5°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 36.6" |
| Annual Snowfall | 28.7" |
Demographics
| Metric | Prairie City, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,762 | — |
| Median Age | 36.7 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 5.8% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 25.8 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 97.3% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 0.7% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.8% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.1% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 31.9% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 11.6% | 16.8% |
Nearby Cities
ZIP Codes in Prairie City
Prairie City, IA is covered by 1 ZIP code: