Wondering where the richest folks live in the Hawkeye State? Wonder no longer, because we’ve used Saturday Night Science to take the guesswork out of determining the wealthiest places in Iowa.
We started by narrowing down our search to only cities with a population of at least 3,000, which left us with 120 cities. Then, we looked for the cities with the highest median household incomes and home prices. That left us with only the most-moneyed spots in Iowa.
The places in Iowa with the highest concentration of wealth are largely around the state’s capital and biggest city, Des Moines. About half the cities on this list are suburbs of Des Moines, with Waukee being the richest of the rich suburbs. If you’re looking for money in the eastern part of the state, North Liberty, situated between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, is your best bet.
In any case, you don’t usually have to travel far from Iowa’s biggest cities to find the hordes of wealth.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There was a good amount of overlap between the wealthiest cities and the safest and best cities in Iowa. Money doesn’t automatically make a city safe or great, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
What city is the richest in Iowa? According to the data, Polk City is the wealthiest city in Iowa for 2024.
So if you want to know what Iowan cities have corn made of gold, serve fried catfish with a side of caviar, and wear tuxedos to the state fair, read on.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Iowa:
The 10 Richest Cities In Iowa For 2024
1. Polk City
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2. Clive
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Population: 18,576
Median Income: $124,908
Median Home Values: $397,338
More on Clive: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
3. Robins
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Population: 3,356
Median Income: $127,443
Median Home Values: $385,242
More on Robins: Data | Real Estate
4. Solon
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Population: 3,020
Median Income: $114,936
Median Home Values: $406,468
More on Solon: Real Estate
5. Sergeant Bluff
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6. Asbury
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Population: 5,890
Median Income: $117,391
Median Home Values: $333,805
More on Asbury: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
7. Waukee
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Population: 25,045
Median Income: $106,846
Median Home Values: $337,040
More on Waukee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
8. Huxley
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9. Bondurant
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Population: 7,617
Median Income: $120,588
Median Home Values: $319,817
More on Bondurant: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. Urbandale
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Population: 45,591
Median Income: $111,888
Median Home Values: $326,786
More on Urbandale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Iowa For 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 120 places with more than 3,000 people in Iowa, we ranked each place from 1 to 120 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Polk City, crowned the “Richest City In Iowa For 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Iowa.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 120 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Iowa For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Iowa, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Iowa.
The richest cities in Iowa are Polk City, Clive, Robins, Solon, Sergeant Bluff, Asbury, Waukee, Huxley, Bondurant, and Urbandale.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Iowa, according to data:
Poorest: Centerville
2nd Poorest: Oelwein
3rd Poorest: Keokuk
For more Iowa reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Iowa
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk City | 1.5 | $152,536 | $399,341 |
| 2 | Clive | 3.0 | $124,908 | $397,338 |
| 3 | Robins | 3.5 | $127,443 | $385,242 |
| 4 | Solon | 4.5 | $114,936 | $406,468 |
| 5 | Sergeant Bluff | 7.5 | $117,500 | $331,417 |
| 6 | Asbury | 7.5 | $117,391 | $333,805 |
| 7 | Waukee | 8.5 | $106,846 | $337,040 |
| 8 | Huxley | 9.0 | $120,868 | $321,023 |
| 9 | Bondurant | 10.0 | $120,588 | $319,817 |
| 10 | Urbandale | 10.0 | $111,888 | $326,786 |
| 11 | Johnston | 11.0 | $98,324 | $374,570 |
| 12 | Grimes | 12.0 | $99,896 | $330,335 |
| 13 | Ankeny | 12.0 | $101,151 | $323,344 |
| 14 | Adel | 12.5 | $91,891 | $389,668 |
| 15 | Le Claire | 14.5 | $95,206 | $326,387 |
| 16 | Mount Vernon | 17.0 | $98,991 | $313,593 |
| 17 | Norwalk | 17.5 | $94,176 | $318,235 |
| 18 | Bettendorf | 18.5 | $100,570 | $294,879 |
| 19 | Tiffin | 21.0 | $94,011 | $306,616 |
| 20 | Eldridge | 21.0 | $89,946 | $307,856 |
| 21 | Pella | 21.0 | $86,025 | $313,636 |
| 22 | North Liberty | 21.0 | $100,197 | $286,151 |
| 23 | Altoona | 23.5 | $89,100 | $300,143 |
| 24 | Sioux Center | 24.0 | $82,050 | $306,984 |
| 25 | West Des Moines | 26.0 | $82,345 | $294,330 |
| 26 | Carlisle | 27.0 | $94,214 | $262,569 |
| 27 | Pleasant Hill | 27.5 | $81,992 | $289,143 |
| 28 | Windsor Heights | 30.0 | $85,055 | $264,202 |
| 29 | Spirit Lake | 30.5 | $70,248 | $306,042 |
| 30 | Clear Lake | 31.0 | $66,900 | $314,635 |
| 31 | Indianola | 32.5 | $73,534 | $279,064 |
| 32 | Orange City | 33.0 | $77,500 | $270,941 |
| 33 | Marion | 34.5 | $81,519 | $249,715 |
| 34 | Waverly | 36.0 | $78,278 | $246,782 |
| 35 | Williamsburg | 37.0 | $78,861 | $242,118 |
| 36 | Winterset | 37.0 | $71,411 | $258,592 |
| 37 | Glenwood | 37.5 | $65,833 | $288,271 |
| 38 | Dyersville | 38.5 | $71,571 | $246,062 |
| 39 | Le Mars | 41.0 | $73,734 | $223,605 |
| 40 | Story City | 41.5 | $67,308 | $251,741 |
| 41 | Cedar Falls | 42.0 | $71,011 | $233,285 |
| 42 | Nevada | 43.5 | $69,742 | $224,887 |
| 43 | Coralville | 44.0 | $67,691 | $234,792 |
| 44 | Tipton | 46.0 | $69,231 | $215,072 |
| 45 | Hiawatha | 47.0 | $65,610 | $234,116 |
| 46 | Rock Valley | 47.0 | $63,485 | $259,068 |
| 47 | Garner | 47.5 | $69,056 | $204,286 |
| 48 | Milford | 52.0 | $59,059 | $276,946 |
| 49 | Monticello | 52.0 | $65,266 | $203,565 |
| 50 | Humboldt | 53.0 | $68,085 | $183,968 |
| 51 | Dubuque | 53.5 | $63,520 | $216,138 |
| 52 | West Liberty | 54.0 | $63,910 | $204,689 |
| 53 | Camanche | 55.0 | $65,090 | $194,013 |
| 54 | Decorah | 55.0 | $57,939 | $277,060 |
| 55 | Cedar Rapids | 55.5 | $66,895 | $183,682 |
| 56 | Des Moines | 59.5 | $62,378 | $194,392 |
| 57 | Sioux City | 60.0 | $64,250 | $179,943 |
| 58 | Independence | 60.0 | $63,042 | $192,496 |
| 59 | Council Bluffs | 60.0 | $61,181 | $196,527 |
| 60 | Iowa City | 61.5 | $54,879 | $279,401 |
| 61 | Sheldon | 61.5 | $61,939 | $187,712 |
| 62 | Ames | 62.0 | $57,428 | $242,576 |
| 63 | Vinton | 63.0 | $63,100 | $179,891 |
| 64 | Carter Lake | 63.5 | $64,479 | $171,801 |
| 65 | Carroll | 63.5 | $60,368 | $184,709 |
| 66 | Cresco | 67.5 | $60,135 | $177,333 |
| 67 | Grinnell | 68.0 | $57,813 | $198,148 |
| 68 | Boone | 68.0 | $64,192 | $166,057 |
| 69 | Anamosa | 69.0 | $55,934 | $220,620 |
| 70 | Mount Pleasant | 71.5 | $58,895 | $176,987 |
| 71 | Marshalltown | 71.5 | $65,000 | $148,067 |
| 72 | Davenport | 74.0 | $59,890 | $166,729 |
| 73 | Knoxville | 74.0 | $57,318 | $180,777 |
| 74 | Muscatine | 75.0 | $58,474 | $171,138 |
| 75 | Forest City | 77.0 | $58,060 | $169,044 |
| 76 | New Hampton | 77.0 | $60,052 | $158,803 |
| 77 | Spencer | 79.0 | $57,175 | $172,012 |
| 78 | Osage | 79.0 | $56,667 | $175,273 |
| 79 | Mason City | 79.0 | $60,786 | $144,252 |
| 80 | Waukon | 79.5 | $52,738 | $199,528 |
| 81 | Harlan | 81.0 | $55,893 | $172,077 |
| 82 | Oskaloosa | 81.0 | $57,949 | $162,462 |
| 83 | Manchester | 81.5 | $57,969 | $160,728 |
| 84 | Albia | 81.5 | $58,894 | $156,026 |
| 85 | Denison | 82.0 | $57,744 | $162,813 |
| 86 | Washington | 82.5 | $56,399 | $169,496 |
| 87 | Webster City | 83.0 | $59,665 | $139,256 |
| 88 | Maquoketa | 84.5 | $53,462 | $177,483 |
| 89 | Storm Lake | 86.0 | $54,615 | $170,758 |
| 90 | Tama | 86.5 | $59,129 | $128,552 |
| 91 | Osceola | 87.0 | $55,208 | $163,656 |
| 92 | Fort Dodge | 87.5 | $59,452 | $126,549 |
| 93 | Perry | 90.0 | $57,276 | $141,243 |
| 94 | Algona | 91.0 | $52,903 | $166,950 |
| 95 | Newton | 92.5 | $53,873 | $161,059 |
| 96 | Evansdale | 95.0 | $54,575 | $146,582 |
| 97 | Atlantic | 96.5 | $54,692 | $138,713 |
| 98 | Emmetsburg | 96.5 | $54,408 | $142,780 |
| 99 | Eagle Grove | 99.0 | $57,107 | $107,584 |
| 100 | Waterloo | 100.0 | $54,104 | $135,521 |