The Johnston Brief
This one's a keeper. We pulled the public record on the town we live in and put it all in one place. Bookmark it, forward it - here's Johnston, by the numbers.
A few of the newer spots that have opened around town, clustered along Merle Hay Road and the growing Johnston Town Center:
More in our new businesses in Johnston tracker.
Johnston's median sale price runs well above the Des Moines-metro median, offset by a high local household income. The deeper breakdown is in our cost of living guide.
The Johnston Community School District runs one high school, two middle schools, five K-5 elementary schools, and an early learning academy. Because there's a single high school, there are no attendance boundaries within the district - every Johnston student attends Johnston High. State proficiency figures run above the Iowa average. Full detail in our Johnston schools guide.
Johnston is home to a major hub of Corteva Agriscience (Pioneer), the seed and crop-science company, plus Camp Dodge and the Iowa National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters, and ChildServe, a children's healthcare nonprofit. The City of Johnston and the school district round out the town's largest workforces. More in our Johnston jobs & employers guide.
The City of Johnston's property-tax levy for fiscal year 2026 is $11.4379 per $1,000 of taxable value, unchanged from the prior year. That is the city's share only - your total bill also includes levies from Polk County, the Johnston Community School District, DMACC, and the transit authority. The retail sales tax in Johnston is 7% (6% state plus a 1% local option). See our property taxes and sales tax guides.
Johnston is unusually well-set for the outdoors: more than 45 miles of city trails, the paved Neal Smith Trail running along the west side toward Saylorville, and quick access to Big Creek State Park and the High Trestle Trail just north. Details in our guides to Saylorville Lake, the Neal Smith Trail, the High Trestle Trail, and Big Creek State Park.
Along Johnston's northern and western edge sits Saylorville Lake, a large U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Des Moines River with swim beaches, campgrounds, boat ramps, and miles of paved trail along the water. When the reservoir runs high after heavy rain, the Corps' releases raise the river downstream - we track it in our river & lake levels guide.
For the current calendar - festivals, markets, live music, and city meetings - see our Johnston events and this week in Johnston pages, which we keep refreshed.
The land was first settled in 1846, when Ezekiel Hunt built a sawmill on the west side of what is now Johnston. The community grew up around a rail stop - it took the name Johnston Station after John F. Johnston, an agent on the Interurban Railway - and the city formally incorporated in 1969. From a whistle-stop on an electric commuter line to a suburb of more than 24,000, in a little over a century. That's Johnston.
That's your town, by the numbers. If a friend would like this, forward it - that's how this thing grows. See you next week. ●
Johnston's population is about 24,384, with a median age near 37.4, making it a mid-sized, family-oriented suburb on the northwest side of the Des Moines metro.
Johnston is in Polk County, Iowa, immediately northwest of Des Moines and part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
The Johnston Community School District (the Dragons) serves the city, with about 7,480 students across eight buildings, and it ranks #12 among Iowa districts on Niche for 2026.
The 2026 year-to-date median home sale price in Johnston is about $375,000, running well above the Des Moines-metro median, at roughly $230 per square foot.
Major Johnston employers include Corteva Agriscience (Pioneer), Camp Dodge and the Iowa National Guard, ChildServe, the City of Johnston, and the Johnston Community School District.
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