Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 60 largest places in Iowa, Ames has the largest share of adults with a bachelor's degree (65.8%), followed by Clive and Iowa City. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 60 places in Iowa that we cover, the median is 30.6% and the average 34.8%; the figure runs from 65.8% (Ames) to 12.8% (Charles City). That is a spread of 5.1 times between the two ends. The state figure is 31.4%; 29 of the 60 places are above it and 31 at or below.
The first five are Ames, Clive, Iowa City, Waukee, Johnston. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Bachelor's degree or higher ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ames | Story County | 65.8% | 67,669 | $60,991 | $1,023 |
| 2 | Clive | Polk County | 61.0% | 19,012 | $132,121 | $1,073 |
| 3 | Iowa City | Johnson County | 60.5% | 75,752 | $58,546 | $1,094 |
| 4 | Waukee | Dallas County | 58.0% | 29,236 | $101,029 | $1,383 |
| 5 | Johnston | Polk County | 57.8% | 24,384 | $106,551 | $1,338 |
| 6 | Coralville | Johnson County | 56.0% | 23,234 | $69,144 | $1,057 |
| 7 | West Des Moines | Polk County | 54.9% | 71,083 | $86,594 | $1,237 |
| 8 | North Liberty | Johnson County | 54.5% | 21,125 | $102,102 | $1,246 |
| 9 | Eldridge | Scott County | 54.4% | 6,818 | $106,316 | $945 |
| 10 | Fairfield | Jefferson County | 52.9% | 9,456 | $51,311 | $870 |
| 11 | Bondurant | Polk County | 52.8% | 8,560 | $135,674 | $1,337 |
| 12 | Ankeny | Polk County | 52.1% | 72,615 | $108,198 | $1,319 |
| 13 | Grimes | Polk County | 51.5% | 16,366 | $120,037 | $1,251 |
| 14 | Urbandale | Polk County | 51.2% | 46,595 | $112,795 | $1,211 |
| 15 | Bettendorf | Scott County | 50.7% | 39,647 | $100,495 | $1,187 |
| 16 | Cedar Falls | Black Hawk County | 50.4% | 40,888 | $76,987 | $1,203 |
| 17 | Pella | Marion County | 47.4% | 10,720 | $84,111 | $1,046 |
| 18 | Waverly | Bremer County | 44.1% | 10,494 | $80,284 | $1,057 |
| 19 | Decorah | Winneshiek County | 42.2% | 7,535 | $64,366 | $853 |
| 20 | Sioux Center | Sioux County | 41.7% | 8,454 | $92,983 | n/a |
| 21 | Norwalk | Warren County | 38.8% | 14,183 | $102,722 | $838 |
| 22 | Marion | Linn County | 38.1% | 41,896 | $86,743 | $961 |
| 23 | Grinnell | Poweshiek County | 37.5% | 9,505 | $65,320 | $895 |
| 24 | Pleasant Hill | Polk County | 35.5% | 11,136 | $90,508 | $1,215 |
| 25 | Indianola | Warren County | 35.0% | 16,044 | $75,453 | $986 |
| 26 | Dubuque | Dubuque County | 34.0% | 59,174 | $65,845 | $948 |
| 27 | Altoona | Polk County | 33.5% | 21,495 | $86,114 | $1,235 |
| 28 | Cedar Rapids | Linn County | 33.1% | 137,264 | $70,424 | $967 |
| 29 | Hiawatha | Linn County | 32.4% | 7,206 | $66,270 | $855 |
| 30 | Knoxville | Marion County | 30.6% | 7,473 | $61,599 | $801 |
| 31 | Clear Lake | Cerro Gordo County | 30.5% | 7,607 | $79,415 | $808 |
| 32 | Davenport | Scott County | 29.9% | 100,913 | $66,200 | $978 |
| 33 | Spencer | Clay County | 29.8% | 11,400 | $59,667 | $805 |
| 34 | Des Moines | Polk County | 29.7% | 212,421 | $65,932 | $1,090 |
| 35 | Nevada | Story County | 29.6% | 6,983 | $75,094 | $953 |
| 36 | Carroll | Carroll County | 27.1% | 10,208 | $69,706 | $722 |
| 37 | Oskaloosa | Mahaska County | 25.4% | 11,504 | $64,004 | $831 |
| 38 | Boone | Boone County | 24.0% | 12,424 | $69,222 | $831 |
| 39 | Creston | Union County | 23.9% | 7,435 | $52,633 | $703 |
| 40 | Washington | Washington County | 23.6% | 7,290 | $55,373 | $968 |
| 41 | Webster City | Hamilton County | 23.2% | 7,769 | $63,430 | $907 |
| 42 | Mount Pleasant | Henry County | 23.2% | 8,951 | $61,042 | $826 |
| 43 | Sioux City | Woodbury County | 22.9% | 86,101 | $68,906 | $976 |
| 44 | Burlington | Des Moines County | 22.5% | 23,728 | $59,000 | $924 |
| 45 | Waterloo | Black Hawk County | 21.8% | 67,008 | $57,480 | $923 |
| 46 | Fort Dodge | Webster County | 21.7% | 24,827 | $60,649 | $785 |
| 47 | Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie County | 21.5% | 62,586 | $64,578 | $1,030 |
| 48 | Muscatine | Muscatine County | 21.1% | 23,489 | $58,117 | $974 |
| 49 | Le Mars | Plymouth County | 21.1% | 10,640 | $74,701 | $929 |
| 50 | Marshalltown | Marshall County | 20.9% | 27,626 | $69,068 | $891 |
| 51 | Clinton | Clinton County | 20.8% | 24,322 | $60,230 | $791 |
| 52 | Mason City | Cerro Gordo County | 20.8% | 27,050 | $64,804 | $882 |
| 53 | Ottumwa | Wapello County | 20.8% | 25,430 | $61,103 | $921 |
| 54 | Newton | Jasper County | 19.5% | 15,700 | $57,771 | $819 |
| 55 | Storm Lake | Buena Vista County | 18.9% | 11,428 | $62,765 | $898 |
| 56 | Fort Madison | Lee County | 18.5% | 10,133 | $50,705 | $826 |
| 57 | Denison | Crawford County | 17.5% | 8,260 | $65,684 | $731 |
| 58 | Keokuk | Lee County | 17.4% | 9,662 | $52,711 | $871 |
| 59 | Perry | Dallas County | 17.0% | 7,985 | $68,910 | $931 |
| 60 | Charles City | Floyd County | 12.8% | 7,232 | $59,180 | $735 |
Largest Cities · Cities With the Cheapest Rent · Cities With the Highest Household Income · Cities Where Rent Takes the Smallest Share of Income · Cities With the Lowest Unemployment · Cities in the Highest-Paying Counties · Cities With the Most Homeowners · Cities With the Most Remote Work · Cities With the Shortest Commutes
Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Ames, with 65.8% (among the 60 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 60 largest places in Iowa by population.