Data / Rankings / Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) / Cities in Iowa

Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024

Pleasant Hill, IA had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 41 cities in 2024, at 8.2%. Pella, IA had the lowest, at 1.1%. The median was 3.9% and the figure for Iowa was 3.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest8.2Pleasant Hill, IA
Lowest1.1Pella, IA
Median3.941 cities
Iowa3.6History

All cities, 2024

Pleasant Hill, IA: 8.2 %Pleasant Hill, IA8.2Altoona, IA: 7.5 %Altoona, IA7.5Fort Dodge, IA: 6 %Fort Dodge, IA6Ames, IA: 5.8 %Ames, IA5.8Newton, IA: 5.8 %Newton, IA5.8Des Moines, IA: 5.6 %Des Moines, IA5.6Waterloo, IA: 5.3 %Waterloo, IA5.3Marshalltown, IA: 5.3 %Marshalltown, IA5.3Oskaloosa, IA: 4.8 %Oskaloosa, IA4.8Iowa City, IA: 4.6 %Iowa City, IA4.6Ottumwa, IA: 4.6 %Ottumwa, IA4.6Davenport, IA: 4.6 %Davenport, IA4.6Dubuque, IA: 4.5 %Dubuque, IA4.5Sioux City, IA: 4.5 %Sioux City, IA4.5Spencer, IA: 4.5 %Spencer, IA4.5Storm Lake, IA: 4.4 %Storm Lake, IA4.4Muscatine, IA: 4.3 %Muscatine, IA4.3Council Bluffs, IA: 4.2 %Council Bluffs, IA4.2Clive, IA: 4 %Clive, IA4Indianola, IA: 4 %Indianola, IA4Cedar Falls, IA: 3.9 %Cedar Falls, IA3.9Burlington, IA: 3.9 %Burlington, IA3.9Clinton, IA: 3.7 %Clinton, IA3.7Cedar Rapids, IA: 3.6 %Cedar Rapids, IA3.6Marion, IA: 3.6 %Marion, IA3.6Waukee, IA: 3.5 %Waukee, IA3.5Waverly, IA: 3.5 %Waverly, IA3.5Norwalk, IA: 3.4 %Norwalk, IA3.4North Liberty, IA: 3.3 %North Liberty, IA3.3Urbandale, IA: 2.9 %Urbandale, IA2.9Le Mars, IA: 2.9 %Le Mars, IA2.9Mason City, IA: 2.8 %Mason City, IA2.8Carroll, IA: 2.5 %Carroll, IA2.5West Des Moines, IA: 2.4 %West Des Moines, IA2.4Bettendorf, IA: 2.4 %Bettendorf, IA2.4Coralville, IA: 2.2 %Coralville, IA2.2Johnston, IA: 2.1 %Johnston, IA2.1Boone, IA: 2 %Boone, IA2Ankeny, IA: 1.9 %Ankeny, IA1.9Grimes, IA: 1.9 %Grimes, IA1.9Pella, IA: 1.1 %Pella, IA1.1Pleasant Hill, IA: 8.2 %Pleasant Hill, IA8.2Altoona, IA: 7.5 %Altoona, IA7.5Fort Dodge, IA: 6 %Fort Dodge, IA6Ames, IA: 5.8 %Ames, IA5.8Newton, IA: 5.8 %Newton, IA5.8Des Moines, IA: 5.6 %Des Moines, IA5.6Waterloo, IA: 5.3 %Waterloo, IA5.3Marshalltown, IA: 5.3 %Marshalltown, IA5.3Oskaloosa, IA: 4.8 %Oskaloosa, IA4.8Iowa City, IA: 4.6 %Iowa City, IA4.6Ottumwa, IA: 4.6 %Ottumwa, IA4.6Davenport, IA: 4.6 %Davenport, IA4.6Dubuque, IA: 4.5 %Dubuque, IA4.5Sioux City, IA: 4.5 %Sioux City, IA4.5Spencer, IA: 4.5 %Spencer, IA4.5Storm Lake, IA: 4.4 %Storm Lake, IA4.4Muscatine, IA: 4.3 %Muscatine, IA4.3Council Bluffs, IA: 4.2 %Council Bluffs, IA4.2Clive, IA: 4 %Clive, IA4Indianola, IA: 4 %Indianola, IA4Cedar Falls, IA: 3.9 %Cedar Falls, IA3.9Burlington, IA: 3.9 %Burlington, IA3.9Clinton, IA: 3.7 %Clinton, IA3.7Cedar Rapids, IA: 3.6 %Cedar Rapids, IA3.6Marion, IA: 3.6 %Marion, IA3.6Waukee, IA: 3.5 %Waukee, IA3.5Waverly, IA: 3.5 %Waverly, IA3.5Norwalk, IA: 3.4 %Norwalk, IA3.4North Liberty, IA: 3.3 %North Liberty, IA3.3Urbandale, IA: 2.9 %Urbandale, IA2.9Le Mars, IA: 2.9 %Le Mars, IA2.9Mason City, IA: 2.8 %Mason City, IA2.8Carroll, IA: 2.5 %Carroll, IA2.5West Des Moines, IA: 2.4 %West Des Moines, IA2.4Bettendorf, IA: 2.4 %Bettendorf, IA2.4Coralville, IA: 2.2 %Coralville, IA2.2Johnston, IA: 2.1 %Johnston, IA2.1Boone, IA: 2 %Boone, IA2Ankeny, IA: 1.9 %Ankeny, IA1.9Grimes, IA: 1.9 %Grimes, IA1.9Pella, IA: 1.1 %Pella, IA1.1
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Pleasant Hill, IA8.2+0.7 pts
2Altoona, IA7.5+0.8 pts
3Fort Dodge, IA6+1.9 pts
4Ames, IA5.8-0.5 pts
5Newton, IA5.8+0.2 pts
6Des Moines, IA5.6-0.1 pts
7Waterloo, IA5.3-1.1 pts
8Marshalltown, IA5.3+0.8 pts
9Oskaloosa, IA4.8+0.6 pts
10Iowa City, IA4.6+0.4 pts
11Ottumwa, IA4.6+0.9 pts
12Davenport, IA4.6-0.3 pts
13Dubuque, IA4.5+0.1 pts
14Sioux City, IA4.5-0 pts
14Spencer, IA4.5-0.7 pts
16Storm Lake, IA4.4+0.7 pts
17Muscatine, IA4.3-0.2 pts
18Council Bluffs, IA4.20 pts
19Clive, IA4+0.7 pts
20Indianola, IA4+0.1 pts
21Cedar Falls, IA3.9+0.7 pts
22Burlington, IA3.9-0.4 pts
23Clinton, IA3.7-0.8 pts
24Cedar Rapids, IA3.6-0.3 pts
25Marion, IA3.6+0.2 pts
26Waukee, IA3.5-0.6 pts
27Waverly, IA3.5+0.1 pts
28Norwalk, IA3.4+0.7 pts
29North Liberty, IA3.3+0.4 pts
30Urbandale, IA2.90 pts
31Le Mars, IA2.9+1.3 pts
32Mason City, IA2.8-0.2 pts
33Carroll, IA2.5-0.6 pts
34West Des Moines, IA2.4-0.1 pts
35Bettendorf, IA2.4+0.4 pts
36Coralville, IA2.2-0.3 pts
37Johnston, IA2.1+0.4 pts
38Boone, IA2+0.3 pts
39Ankeny, IA1.9-0.3 pts
39Grimes, IA1.9-4.3 pts
41Pella, IA1.10 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Unemployed civilians aged 16 and over as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

An average over five years of survey responses, so it moves slowly. The official monthly and annual rates for states and counties are unemployment_rate, from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.

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 B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.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 B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more) (Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more), Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_iowa_by_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more): Cities in Iowa by unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate), 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b23025.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which city has the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Pleasant Hill, IA, with 8.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which city has the lowest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate)?

Pella, IA, with 1.1% in 2024.

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 B23025: unemployed as a percentage of the civilian labor force aged 16 and over, calculated with stored inputs, US cities (incorporated places of 10,000 or more). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate): other rankings

Cities in Iowa: more rankings