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

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

Pleasant Hill, IA had the highest unemployment rate (US five-year survey estimate) of 41 cities in 2022, at 9.2%. Boone, IA had the lowest, at 0.8%. The median was 3.9% and the figure for Iowa was 3.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest9.2Pleasant Hill, IA
Lowest0.8Boone, IA
Median3.941 cities
Iowa3.8History

All cities, 2022

Pleasant Hill, IA: 9.2 %Pleasant Hill, IA9.2Waterloo, IA: 7.1 %Waterloo, IA7.1Ames, IA: 7.1 %Ames, IA7.1Marshalltown, IA: 6.8 %Marshalltown, IA6.8Altoona, IA: 6.7 %Altoona, IA6.7Grimes, IA: 6.4 %Grimes, IA6.4Newton, IA: 6.1 %Newton, IA6.1Des Moines, IA: 5.9 %Des Moines, IA5.9Spencer, IA: 5.2 %Spencer, IA5.2Clinton, IA: 5.2 %Clinton, IA5.2Davenport, IA: 5 %Davenport, IA5Dubuque, IA: 5 %Dubuque, IA5Iowa City, IA: 4.8 %Iowa City, IA4.8Sioux City, IA: 4.8 %Sioux City, IA4.8Ottumwa, IA: 4.5 %Ottumwa, IA4.5Oskaloosa, IA: 4.3 %Oskaloosa, IA4.3Muscatine, IA: 4.3 %Muscatine, IA4.3Council Bluffs, IA: 4.2 %Council Bluffs, IA4.2Storm Lake, IA: 4.1 %Storm Lake, IA4.1Burlington, IA: 4 %Burlington, IA4Indianola, IA: 3.9 %Indianola, IA3.9Cedar Rapids, IA: 3.9 %Cedar Rapids, IA3.9Marion, IA: 3.7 %Marion, IA3.7Mason City, IA: 3.4 %Mason City, IA3.4Fort Dodge, IA: 3.2 %Fort Dodge, IA3.2Waukee, IA: 3.1 %Waukee, IA3.1Norwalk, IA: 3.1 %Norwalk, IA3.1Cedar Falls, IA: 3 %Cedar Falls, IA3West Des Moines, IA: 2.8 %West Des Moines, IA2.8Clive, IA: 2.8 %Clive, IA2.8Carroll, IA: 2.8 %Carroll, IA2.8Le Mars, IA: 2.7 %Le Mars, IA2.7Waverly, IA: 2.7 %Waverly, IA2.7Ankeny, IA: 2.6 %Ankeny, IA2.6Bettendorf, IA: 2.4 %Bettendorf, IA2.4Urbandale, IA: 2.2 %Urbandale, IA2.2Coralville, IA: 2.1 %Coralville, IA2.1Johnston, IA: 2 %Johnston, IA2North Liberty, IA: 2 %North Liberty, IA2Pella, IA: 1.7 %Pella, IA1.7Boone, IA: 0.8 %Boone, IA0.8Pleasant Hill, IA: 9.2 %Pleasant Hill, IA9.2Waterloo, IA: 7.1 %Waterloo, IA7.1Ames, IA: 7.1 %Ames, IA7.1Marshalltown, IA: 6.8 %Marshalltown, IA6.8Altoona, IA: 6.7 %Altoona, IA6.7Grimes, IA: 6.4 %Grimes, IA6.4Newton, IA: 6.1 %Newton, IA6.1Des Moines, IA: 5.9 %Des Moines, IA5.9Spencer, IA: 5.2 %Spencer, IA5.2Clinton, IA: 5.2 %Clinton, IA5.2Davenport, IA: 5 %Davenport, IA5Dubuque, IA: 5 %Dubuque, IA5Iowa City, IA: 4.8 %Iowa City, IA4.8Sioux City, IA: 4.8 %Sioux City, IA4.8Ottumwa, IA: 4.5 %Ottumwa, IA4.5Oskaloosa, IA: 4.3 %Oskaloosa, IA4.3Muscatine, IA: 4.3 %Muscatine, IA4.3Council Bluffs, IA: 4.2 %Council Bluffs, IA4.2Storm Lake, IA: 4.1 %Storm Lake, IA4.1Burlington, IA: 4 %Burlington, IA4Indianola, IA: 3.9 %Indianola, IA3.9Cedar Rapids, IA: 3.9 %Cedar Rapids, IA3.9Marion, IA: 3.7 %Marion, IA3.7Mason City, IA: 3.4 %Mason City, IA3.4Fort Dodge, IA: 3.2 %Fort Dodge, IA3.2Waukee, IA: 3.1 %Waukee, IA3.1Norwalk, IA: 3.1 %Norwalk, IA3.1Cedar Falls, IA: 3 %Cedar Falls, IA3West Des Moines, IA: 2.8 %West Des Moines, IA2.8Clive, IA: 2.8 %Clive, IA2.8Carroll, IA: 2.8 %Carroll, IA2.8Le Mars, IA: 2.7 %Le Mars, IA2.7Waverly, IA: 2.7 %Waverly, IA2.7Ankeny, IA: 2.6 %Ankeny, IA2.6Bettendorf, IA: 2.4 %Bettendorf, IA2.4Urbandale, IA: 2.2 %Urbandale, IA2.2Coralville, IA: 2.1 %Coralville, IA2.1Johnston, IA: 2 %Johnston, IA2North Liberty, IA: 2 %North Liberty, IA2Pella, IA: 1.7 %Pella, IA1.7Boone, IA: 0.8 %Boone, IA0.8
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Pleasant Hill, IA9.2+1.2 pts
2Waterloo, IA7.1+0.4 pts
3Ames, IA7.1+0.2 pts
4Marshalltown, IA6.8+0.3 pts
5Altoona, IA6.7+0.7 pts
6Grimes, IA6.4-0.7 pts
7Newton, IA6.1+0.1 pts
8Des Moines, IA5.9+0.2 pts
9Spencer, IA5.2-0.4 pts
10Clinton, IA5.2-0.5 pts
11Davenport, IA5-0 pts
12Dubuque, IA50 pts
13Iowa City, IA4.8-0.2 pts
14Sioux City, IA4.8+0.2 pts
15Ottumwa, IA4.5-0.7 pts
16Oskaloosa, IA4.3-0.7 pts
17Muscatine, IA4.3-0.1 pts
18Council Bluffs, IA4.2-0.6 pts
19Storm Lake, IA4.1-1.9 pts
20Burlington, IA4-1 pts
21Indianola, IA3.9+0.4 pts
22Cedar Rapids, IA3.90 pts
23Marion, IA3.7-0.5 pts
24Mason City, IA3.4-0.4 pts
25Fort Dodge, IA3.2+0.1 pts
26Waukee, IA3.1+0.5 pts
27Norwalk, IA3.1-0.3 pts
28Cedar Falls, IA3-0.5 pts
29West Des Moines, IA2.8+0.1 pts
30Clive, IA2.8+0.1 pts
31Carroll, IA2.8-0.7 pts
32Le Mars, IA2.7+0.2 pts
33Waverly, IA2.7-1.3 pts
34Ankeny, IA2.6+0.1 pts
35Bettendorf, IA2.4-0.4 pts
36Urbandale, IA2.2-0.6 pts
37Coralville, IA2.1+0.3 pts
38Johnston, IA2-0.1 pts
39North Liberty, IA2-0.4 pts
40Pella, IA1.7+0.1 pts
41Boone, IA0.8-0.5 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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), 2022) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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), 2022. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2022. 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), 2022. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2022.

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), 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_iowa_by_2022,
  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), 2022}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2022. 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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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), 2022
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2022.
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/2022/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2022-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 9.2% in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Boone, IA, with 0.8% in 2022.

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