West Branch is a city in Cedar County, Iowa, home to about 2,594 people across 2.6 square miles. Its ZIP code is 52358.
Homes sold for a median of $152 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside West Branch. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up West Branch’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Des Moines International Airport (DSM)121 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | The Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)25 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Madison, WI137 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL187 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of West Branch; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
West Branch had 2,509 residents in the 2020 census, up 15% since 2000.
It’s the 140th largest of 1,019 towns in Iowa by population.
Cedar County grew from 19,371 residents in 1900 to 18,505 in 2020.
Cedar County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 84°F in summer, and winter lows average 12°F. About 38.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 28 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Iowa City, IA weather station (11 miles away).
4,355 jobs at 460 businesses in Cedar County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
19 doctors and other health care providers list an office in West Branch.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 2 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 1 |
| Dentists | 3 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 1 |
| Mental health providers | 9 |
| Chiropractors | 3 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Libraries
Museums
Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by West Branch Comm School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover Elementary SchoolWest Branch | Pre-K–4 | 353 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| West Branch Community Early Learning CenterWest Branch | Pre-K | 15 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| West Branch Middle SchoolWest Branch | 5–8 | 239 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| West Branch High SchoolWest Branch | 9–12 | 273 | Public | 2.6 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scattergood Friends SchoolWest Branch | 6–12 | 36 | Friends (Quaker) | 0.7 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Downey.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.