Living in Carroll, IA
Carroll County
Carroll is a real, genuine west-central Iowa regional hub -- the Carroll County seat, population approximately 10,046-10,333 depending on source, real, locally branded the 'hub of Western Iowa,' sitting approximately 90 miles from both Des Moines and Omaha. Carroll's median age ran a real, notably high 43.6 years, with a 65-and-older population share of approximately 22.1%-24.1% across sources reviewed this pass -- clearly above this project's ~18% national retiring-relevance threshold. St. Anthony Regional Hospital anchors Carroll's real healthcare identity, contributing nearly $180 million to Iowa's economy in 2024, alongside real manufacturing employers including a Pella Corporation window/door plant, Farner-Bocken Company, and American Home Shield. Housing runs genuinely affordable (median rent approximately $722/month, cited as among the region's lowest), though this record discloses a real, notable single-year home-price decline (median sale price down 14.0% year-over-year to approximately $185,000) honestly rather than smoothing it over. Carroll's effective property tax rate carried a real, disclosed cross-source spread (1.05%-1.21% depending on source), and its public schools carried an average SchoolGrade of A.
Explore Carroll in depth
- Moving to Carroll: Pros, Cons & What to Know
- Cost of Living in Carroll
- Housing in Carroll
- Taxes & Insurance in Carroll
- Climate in Carroll
- Schools & Families in Carroll
- Healthcare & Safety in Carroll
- Pros and Cons of Living in Carroll
- Retiring in Carroll
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Carroll County level this session. Iowa's top state income tax rate is 3.80%. See the Iowa hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Carroll-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
Genuinely affordable rent (approximately $722/month, among the region's lowest per one source); St. Anthony Regional Hospital's real, current, substantial regional healthcare and economic role (nearly $180 million contributed to Iowa's economy in 2024); a real, diversified manufacturing and distribution employer base (Pella Corporation, Farner-Bocken, American Home Shield); above-average, A-graded public schools; and a genuine west-central Iowa regional-hub identity approximately 90 miles from both Des Moines and Omaha.
Cons
A real, notable single-year home-price decline this record discloses honestly (median sale price down 14.0% year-over-year to approximately $185,000, though small-market month-over-month figures can swing on relatively few transactions); a genuinely disclosed cross-source spread in both crime-rate interpretation and effective property tax rate (1.05%-1.21%) this record does not resolve to false precision; and gaps in this pass's confirmed river-flood-history and specific hospital-facility data disclosed honestly rather than papered over.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits retirees drawn to a real, above-threshold senior community with strong regional healthcare access (St. Anthony Regional Hospital), and affordability-focused, small-town-living buyers who value a genuine west-central Iowa regional-hub identity with above-average schools.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers who need a single, stable home-price trend to plan around -- Carroll's own real, disclosed recent price data showed a notable single-year decline that may reflect small-market volatility rather than a clear long-term trend -- or for those needing independently confirmed river-flood-history data before committing to a specific address.
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