Is Swisher, IA a Good Place to Live?
Swisher is a small town of 1,126 in Iowa, with a median household income of $94,091 and a 1.5% unemployment rate. Its cost of living index is 92 (US average = 100), which is 8% below the national average.
Strengths: Swisher stands out for an affordable cost of living, below-average home prices, short average commutes.
Trade-offs: No major red flags stand out in the available data. Whether Swisher is right for you depends on your priorities — the full breakdown is below.
All Swisher 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: 91.8Swisher's overall cost of living index is 91.8, where 100 represents the US national average. Living in Swisher costs roughly 8% less than the average American city.
| Metric | Swisher, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $241,800 | $244,900 |
| Median Monthly Rent | $960 | $1,163 |
| Homeownership Rate | 82.1% | 65.9% |
| Median Household Income | $94,091 | $74,755 |
Crime & Safety
Safer than AverageSwisher's violent crime rate is 238.2 per 100,000 residents — 37% lower than the national average of ~380 per 100,000.
Vertical marker = national average. Source: FBI UCR Program.
Schools & Education
| Metric | Swisher, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| School District | N/A | — |
| Elementary Schools | N/A | — |
| Middle Schools | N/A | — |
| High Schools | N/A | — |
| Student/Teacher Ratio | N/A | 16:1 |
| Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 32.8% | 35.4% |
| High School Diploma or Higher | 98.4% | 91.1% |
Weather & Climate
Swisher sees average highs of 27.9°F in January and 82.8°F in July, with 37.2 inches of annual precipitation and 29.2 inches of snow per year.
| Metric | Swisher, IA |
|---|---|
| Average High — January | 27.9°F |
| Average High — July | 82.8°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 37.2" |
| Annual Snowfall | 29.2" |
Demographics
| Metric | Swisher, IA | National Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,126 | — |
| Median Age | 36.4 | 38.9 |
| Unemployment Rate | 1.5% | 3.7% |
| Avg Commute Time | 22.2 min | 26 min |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 94.8% | 59.3% |
| Black or African American | 2.8% | 13.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 0.4% | 18.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 6.3% |
| Under 18 | 32.1% | 22.2% |
| 65 and over | 14.1% | 16.8% |