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 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 60 largest places in Iowa, Eldridge has the smallest share of long commutes (2.9%), followed by Bondurant and Cedar Falls. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 60 places in Iowa that we cover, the median is 6.0% and the average 7.2%; the figure runs from 2.9% (Eldridge) to 24.3% (Perry). That is a spread of 8.4 times between the two ends. The state figure is 8.2%; 18 of the 60 places are above it and 42 at or below.
The first five are Eldridge, Bondurant, Cedar Falls, Waukee, Grimes. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: short commutes can mean a self-contained job market or a small town with few employers. 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 ⇅ | Commute of 45 minutes or more ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eldridge | Scott County | 2.9% | 6,818 | $106,316 | $945 |
| 2 | Bondurant | Polk County | 3.0% | 8,560 | $135,674 | $1,337 |
| 3 | Cedar Falls | Black Hawk County | 3.2% | 40,888 | $76,987 | $1,203 |
| 4 | Waukee | Dallas County | 3.3% | 29,236 | $101,029 | $1,383 |
| 5 | Grimes | Polk County | 3.3% | 16,366 | $120,037 | $1,251 |
| 6 | Dubuque | Dubuque County | 3.3% | 59,174 | $65,845 | $948 |
| 7 | Mason City | Cerro Gordo County | 3.3% | 27,050 | $64,804 | $882 |
| 8 | Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie County | 3.5% | 62,586 | $64,578 | $1,030 |
| 9 | Storm Lake | Buena Vista County | 3.6% | 11,428 | $62,765 | $898 |
| 10 | Hiawatha | Linn County | 3.7% | 7,206 | $66,270 | $855 |
| 11 | Ames | Story County | 4.0% | 67,669 | $60,991 | $1,023 |
| 12 | Urbandale | Polk County | 4.1% | 46,595 | $112,795 | $1,211 |
| 13 | Carroll | Carroll County | 4.1% | 10,208 | $69,706 | $722 |
| 14 | Sioux Center | Sioux County | 4.3% | 8,454 | $92,983 | n/a |
| 15 | Sioux City | Woodbury County | 4.3% | 86,101 | $68,906 | $976 |
| 16 | Le Mars | Plymouth County | 4.5% | 10,640 | $74,701 | $929 |
| 17 | Waterloo | Black Hawk County | 4.5% | 67,008 | $57,480 | $923 |
| 18 | Iowa City | Johnson County | 4.6% | 75,752 | $58,546 | $1,094 |
| 19 | Denison | Crawford County | 4.6% | 8,260 | $65,684 | $731 |
| 20 | Ankeny | Polk County | 4.6% | 72,615 | $108,198 | $1,319 |
| 21 | West Des Moines | Polk County | 4.9% | 71,083 | $86,594 | $1,237 |
| 22 | Pleasant Hill | Polk County | 5.0% | 11,136 | $90,508 | $1,215 |
| 23 | Charles City | Floyd County | 5.0% | 7,232 | $59,180 | $735 |
| 24 | Oskaloosa | Mahaska County | 5.5% | 11,504 | $64,004 | $831 |
| 25 | Grinnell | Poweshiek County | 5.6% | 9,505 | $65,320 | $895 |
| 26 | Des Moines | Polk County | 5.7% | 212,421 | $65,932 | $1,090 |
| 27 | Decorah | Winneshiek County | 5.7% | 7,535 | $64,366 | $853 |
| 28 | Burlington | Des Moines County | 5.8% | 23,728 | $59,000 | $924 |
| 29 | Mount Pleasant | Henry County | 5.9% | 8,951 | $61,042 | $826 |
| 30 | Waverly | Bremer County | 5.9% | 10,494 | $80,284 | $1,057 |
| 31 | Johnston | Polk County | 6.0% | 24,384 | $106,551 | $1,338 |
| 32 | Cedar Rapids | Linn County | 6.3% | 137,264 | $70,424 | $967 |
| 33 | Coralville | Johnson County | 6.4% | 23,234 | $69,144 | $1,057 |
| 34 | Clear Lake | Cerro Gordo County | 6.5% | 7,607 | $79,415 | $808 |
| 35 | Davenport | Scott County | 6.5% | 100,913 | $66,200 | $978 |
| 36 | Creston | Union County | 6.7% | 7,435 | $52,633 | $703 |
| 37 | Bettendorf | Scott County | 6.8% | 39,647 | $100,495 | $1,187 |
| 38 | Marion | Linn County | 7.1% | 41,896 | $86,743 | $961 |
| 39 | Fairfield | Jefferson County | 7.4% | 9,456 | $51,311 | $870 |
| 40 | Muscatine | Muscatine County | 7.7% | 23,489 | $58,117 | $974 |
| 41 | Norwalk | Warren County | 8.0% | 14,183 | $102,722 | $838 |
| 42 | Spencer | Clay County | 8.2% | 11,400 | $59,667 | $805 |
| 43 | Indianola | Warren County | 9.0% | 16,044 | $75,453 | $986 |
| 44 | North Liberty | Johnson County | 9.0% | 21,125 | $102,102 | $1,246 |
| 45 | Pella | Marion County | 9.2% | 10,720 | $84,111 | $1,046 |
| 46 | Nevada | Story County | 9.3% | 6,983 | $75,094 | $953 |
| 47 | Clive | Polk County | 9.4% | 19,012 | $132,121 | $1,073 |
| 48 | Ottumwa | Wapello County | 9.4% | 25,430 | $61,103 | $921 |
| 49 | Webster City | Hamilton County | 9.5% | 7,769 | $63,430 | $907 |
| 50 | Altoona | Polk County | 9.8% | 21,495 | $86,114 | $1,235 |
| 51 | Fort Dodge | Webster County | 10.2% | 24,827 | $60,649 | $785 |
| 52 | Keokuk | Lee County | 11.1% | 9,662 | $52,711 | $871 |
| 53 | Boone | Boone County | 11.1% | 12,424 | $69,222 | $831 |
| 54 | Marshalltown | Marshall County | 12.3% | 27,626 | $69,068 | $891 |
| 55 | Fort Madison | Lee County | 12.5% | 10,133 | $50,705 | $826 |
| 56 | Washington | Washington County | 13.3% | 7,290 | $55,373 | $968 |
| 57 | Clinton | Clinton County | 13.4% | 24,322 | $60,230 | $791 |
| 58 | Knoxville | Marion County | 14.8% | 7,473 | $61,599 | $801 |
| 59 | Newton | Jasper County | 16.3% | 15,700 | $57,771 | $819 |
| 60 | Perry | Dallas County | 24.3% | 7,985 | $68,910 | $931 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Eldridge, with 2.9% (among the 60 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 60 largest places in Iowa by population.