Quality of Life
A great place to live, work, raise a family and retire stands out in six categories – workforce, education, healthcare, daycare, housing and recreation. Lyon County offers its residents that quality of life and continues to improve in those six areas.
NICHE – Lyon County Ranked Highly in 2017 Best Places
NICHE.com rankings are based on rigorous analysis of data and reviews. The report card for Lyon County makes it the 16th Best County to Live in Iowa out of 98 counties. NICHE.com ranks thousands of places to live based on key statistics from the U.S. Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and expert insights.
Heritage Days at Island Park, Rock Rapids
Overall Niche Grade
| Public Schools | B+ |
| Housing | A |
| Good for Families | A |
| Jobs | A |
| Cost of Living | A |
| Outdoor Activities | B+ |
| Crime & Safety | NG |
| Nightlife | B |
| Diversity | C |
| Weather | B- |
| Health & Fitness | C+ |
| Commute | B- |
Alvord Days Baseball Tournament, Alvord
As with any national ranking, you take it with a grain of salt, but we’re proud of the overall A- grade that NICHE.com methodology provides for Lyon County both in Iowa and nationally.
Visit NICHE.com for more information at https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/c/lyon-county-ia/rankings/.
| NICHE Category | Iowa Rankings | National Ranking |
| Best county to buy a house | 3 of 98 | 59 of 2,771 |
| Best county for families | 8 of 98 | 170 of 2,770 |
| Best counties for outdoor activities | 11 of 98 | 1,175 of 2,773 |
| Best counties to live in | 16 of 98 | 426 of 2,774 |
| Counties with the best public schools | 17 of 98 | 591 of 2,770 |
| Counties with the lowest cost of living | 23 of 98 | 268 of 2,774 |
| Best counties for retirees | 76 of 98 | 1,218 of 2,768 |
Rapid Speedway, Rock Rapids
Inwood Aquatic Center, Inwood
Lyon County Shines in 2017 Iowa County Health Rankings
Long story short, of 99 counties in the state of Iowa, Lyon County is one of the healthiest. Lyon County ranks 3rd for health outcomes, based on an equal weighting of length and quality of life. Lyon County ranks 5th for health factors, based on weighted scores for health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and the physical environment.
The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program brings actionable data and strategies to communities to make it easier for people to be healthy in their homes, schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. The County Health Rankings illustrate what we know when it comes to what is making people sick or healthy.
The 2017 Iowa County Health Rankings and Roadmap help counties understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live. The Rankings are unique in their ability to measure the current overall health of nearly every county in all 50 states.