What it's like to live in Fort Madison
Fort Madison is a small city in Iowa with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Fort Madison deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a population that has been shrinking, and cold winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- Shrinking population
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Fort Madison compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Fort Madison
Based on Fort Madison's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,652
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $33,040 a year
- 44% of Fort Madison renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$18,840
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $9,420
- Homes cost 1.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 42% below US
$826/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $826 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $94,200. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $94,200 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.0% county unemployment
Unemployment in Lee County is 4.0%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Lee County (county-wide)
SafetyNear US average
323 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1788/100k · Fort Madison Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 11% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 20°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 49% below US
19% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is New Philadelphia National Historic Site (67 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Fort Madison's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($826/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Fort Madison
All Iowa guides →Moving to Burlington →
17 mi away · pop. 23,728
Rent $924/mo · Income $59,000
Compare with Fort Madison →Moving to Muscatine →
57 mi away · pop. 23,489
Rent $974/mo · Income $58,117
Compare with Fort Madison →Moving to Iowa City →
72 mi away · pop. 75,752
Rent $1,094/mo · Income $58,546
Compare with Fort Madison →Not sure Fort Madison is the one?
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