Cedar Falls, IA vs Mason City, IA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricCedar Falls, IAMason City, IA
Population40,88827,050
Median Household Income$76,987$64,804
Median Rent$1,203/mo$882/mo
Median Home Value$263,600$142,000
Cost of Living (US = 100)87—
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income55%34.1%
Poverty Rate15.7%12%
Unemployment Rate3.1%3.4%
Violent Crime Rate /100k135354
Property Crime Rate /100k1,1322,580
Median AQI4919
Good AQI Days /yr195—
Summer Highs83°F80°F
Winter Lows14°F11°F
Snowfall39 in/yr44 in/yr
Avg Commute14 min13.5 min
Hospitals11
Avg Hospital Rating—2.0 / 5
Students per Teacher14.414.4
College Degree Rate50.4%20.8%
Foreign-Born %3.4%3.3%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+1.3%-1.8%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.