Data / Rankings / Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) / Cities in Iowa

Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)

Iowa City, IA had the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) of 41 cities in 2021, at 61%. Clive, IA had the lowest, at 26.8%. The median was 40.7% and the figure for Iowa was 43%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest61Iowa City, IA
Lowest26.8Clive, IA
Median40.741 cities
Iowa43History

All cities, 2021

Iowa City, IA: 61 %Iowa City, IA61Burlington, IA: 60.3 %Burlington, IA60.3Coralville, IA: 56.8 %Coralville, IA56.8Cedar Falls, IA: 54.1 %Cedar Falls, IA54.1Ames, IA: 54.1 %Ames, IA54.1Newton, IA: 53.7 %Newton, IA53.7Carroll, IA: 52.4 %Carroll, IA52.4Clinton, IA: 50.9 %Clinton, IA50.9Pleasant Hill, IA: 48.6 %Pleasant Hill, IA48.6Des Moines, IA: 48.1 %Des Moines, IA48.1Indianola, IA: 47.7 %Indianola, IA47.7Dubuque, IA: 47.3 %Dubuque, IA47.3Ottumwa, IA: 47 %Ottumwa, IA47Davenport, IA: 46.2 %Davenport, IA46.2Council Bluffs, IA: 45.9 %Council Bluffs, IA45.9Muscatine, IA: 45.6 %Muscatine, IA45.6Waterloo, IA: 45.4 %Waterloo, IA45.4North Liberty, IA: 45.2 %North Liberty, IA45.2Cedar Rapids, IA: 43.5 %Cedar Rapids, IA43.5Fort Dodge, IA: 43.2 %Fort Dodge, IA43.2Waverly, IA: 40.7 %Waverly, IA40.7Marion, IA: 40.6 %Marion, IA40.6Urbandale, IA: 40.3 %Urbandale, IA40.3Sioux City, IA: 40.2 %Sioux City, IA40.2Spencer, IA: 40 %Spencer, IA40Marshalltown, IA: 39.7 %Marshalltown, IA39.7Bettendorf, IA: 38.9 %Bettendorf, IA38.9West Des Moines, IA: 38.6 %West Des Moines, IA38.6Altoona, IA: 37.7 %Altoona, IA37.7Oskaloosa, IA: 36.3 %Oskaloosa, IA36.3Boone, IA: 36.2 %Boone, IA36.2Norwalk, IA: 35.6 %Norwalk, IA35.6Johnston, IA: 35.5 %Johnston, IA35.5Storm Lake, IA: 34.6 %Storm Lake, IA34.6Ankeny, IA: 34.3 %Ankeny, IA34.3Mason City, IA: 34.3 %Mason City, IA34.3Waukee, IA: 33.2 %Waukee, IA33.2Pella, IA: 32.4 %Pella, IA32.4Le Mars, IA: 32.1 %Le Mars, IA32.1Grimes, IA: 27 %Grimes, IA27Clive, IA: 26.8 %Clive, IA26.8Iowa City, IA: 61 %Iowa City, IA61Burlington, IA: 60.3 %Burlington, IA60.3Coralville, IA: 56.8 %Coralville, IA56.8Cedar Falls, IA: 54.1 %Cedar Falls, IA54.1Ames, IA: 54.1 %Ames, IA54.1Newton, IA: 53.7 %Newton, IA53.7Carroll, IA: 52.4 %Carroll, IA52.4Clinton, IA: 50.9 %Clinton, IA50.9Pleasant Hill, IA: 48.6 %Pleasant Hill, IA48.6Des Moines, IA: 48.1 %Des Moines, IA48.1Indianola, IA: 47.7 %Indianola, IA47.7Dubuque, IA: 47.3 %Dubuque, IA47.3Ottumwa, IA: 47 %Ottumwa, IA47Davenport, IA: 46.2 %Davenport, IA46.2Council Bluffs, IA: 45.9 %Council Bluffs, IA45.9Muscatine, IA: 45.6 %Muscatine, IA45.6Waterloo, IA: 45.4 %Waterloo, IA45.4North Liberty, IA: 45.2 %North Liberty, IA45.2Cedar Rapids, IA: 43.5 %Cedar Rapids, IA43.5Fort Dodge, IA: 43.2 %Fort Dodge, IA43.2Waverly, IA: 40.7 %Waverly, IA40.7Marion, IA: 40.6 %Marion, IA40.6Urbandale, IA: 40.3 %Urbandale, IA40.3Sioux City, IA: 40.2 %Sioux City, IA40.2Spencer, IA: 40 %Spencer, IA40Marshalltown, IA: 39.7 %Marshalltown, IA39.7Bettendorf, IA: 38.9 %Bettendorf, IA38.9West Des Moines, IA: 38.6 %West Des Moines, IA38.6Altoona, IA: 37.7 %Altoona, IA37.7Oskaloosa, IA: 36.3 %Oskaloosa, IA36.3Boone, IA: 36.2 %Boone, IA36.2Norwalk, IA: 35.6 %Norwalk, IA35.6Johnston, IA: 35.5 %Johnston, IA35.5Storm Lake, IA: 34.6 %Storm Lake, IA34.6Ankeny, IA: 34.3 %Ankeny, IA34.3Mason City, IA: 34.3 %Mason City, IA34.3Waukee, IA: 33.2 %Waukee, IA33.2Pella, IA: 32.4 %Pella, IA32.4Le Mars, IA: 32.1 %Le Mars, IA32.1Grimes, IA: 27 %Grimes, IA27Clive, IA: 26.8 %Clive, IA26.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2021 (%)
1Iowa City, IA61
2Burlington, IA60.3
3Coralville, IA56.8
4Cedar Falls, IA54.1
5Ames, IA54.1
6Newton, IA53.7
7Carroll, IA52.4
8Clinton, IA50.9
9Pleasant Hill, IA48.6
10Des Moines, IA48.1
11Indianola, IA47.7
12Dubuque, IA47.3
13Ottumwa, IA47
14Davenport, IA46.2
15Council Bluffs, IA45.9
16Muscatine, IA45.6
17Waterloo, IA45.4
18North Liberty, IA45.2
19Cedar Rapids, IA43.5
20Fort Dodge, IA43.2
21Waverly, IA40.7
22Marion, IA40.6
23Urbandale, IA40.3
24Sioux City, IA40.2
25Spencer, IA40
26Marshalltown, IA39.7
27Bettendorf, IA38.9
28West Des Moines, IA38.6
29Altoona, IA37.7
30Oskaloosa, IA36.3
31Boone, IA36.2
32Norwalk, IA35.6
33Johnston, IA35.5
34Storm Lake, IA34.6
35Ankeny, IA34.3
36Mason City, IA34.3
37Waukee, IA33.2
38Pella, IA32.4
39Le Mars, IA32.1
40Grimes, IA27
41Clive, IA26.8

Other periods

About this ranking

Renter households whose gross rent (contract rent plus utilities and fuels the renter pays) was 30 percent or more of household income in the past 12 months, as a percentage of renter households for which that ratio can be computed. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

Renters who pay no cash rent and households with no or negative income are left out of both the count and the base. 30 percent is the usual US threshold for rent burden. The EU housing cost overburden rate (housing_cost_overburden_rate) uses 40 percent of disposable income, all housing costs and people instead of households, so the two cannot be compared.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the cities are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/iowa-cities?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/iowa-cities?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/iowa-cities?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_iowa_by_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/iowa-cities?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income), 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/iowa-cities?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/rent-burdened-households/iowa-cities?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2021/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2021-b25070.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Rank Cities in Iowa by rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which city has the highest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Iowa City, IA, with 61% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income)?

Clive, IA, with 26.8% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B25070: renter-occupied units with gross rent of 30 percent or more of household income, as a percentage of units where it is computed, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Rent-burdened renter households (rent 30 percent or more of income): other rankings

Cities in Iowa: more rankings