Best places to live in Iowa
2 Iowa metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in Iowa
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 2 tracked Iowa metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 79.3%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 7.4%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 5.5%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 3.6%
- Other or two or more
- 4.3%
Diversity index 45/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 62.8 | #11 of 103 | $296k | 87 | 80 | 13° / 85° | 48 |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 54.6 | #40 of 103 | $247k | 78 | 80 | 11° / 83° | 36 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.