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 2023, at 7.5%. 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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Highest7.5Pleasant Hill, IA
Lowest1.1Pella, IA
Median3.941 cities
Iowa3.6History

All cities, 2023

Pleasant Hill, IA: 7.5 %Pleasant Hill, IA7.5Altoona, IA: 6.7 %Altoona, IA6.7Ames, IA: 6.4 %Ames, IA6.4Waterloo, IA: 6.4 %Waterloo, IA6.4Grimes, IA: 6.3 %Grimes, IA6.3Des Moines, IA: 5.8 %Des Moines, IA5.8Newton, IA: 5.5 %Newton, IA5.5Spencer, IA: 5.2 %Spencer, IA5.2Davenport, IA: 4.8 %Davenport, IA4.8Muscatine, IA: 4.5 %Muscatine, IA4.5Sioux City, IA: 4.5 %Sioux City, IA4.5Marshalltown, IA: 4.5 %Marshalltown, IA4.5Clinton, IA: 4.5 %Clinton, IA4.5Dubuque, IA: 4.4 %Dubuque, IA4.4Burlington, IA: 4.2 %Burlington, IA4.2Iowa City, IA: 4.2 %Iowa City, IA4.2Council Bluffs, IA: 4.2 %Council Bluffs, IA4.2Oskaloosa, IA: 4.2 %Oskaloosa, IA4.2Fort Dodge, IA: 4.1 %Fort Dodge, IA4.1Waukee, IA: 4.1 %Waukee, IA4.1Cedar Rapids, IA: 3.9 %Cedar Rapids, IA3.9Indianola, IA: 3.9 %Indianola, IA3.9Ottumwa, IA: 3.7 %Ottumwa, IA3.7Storm Lake, IA: 3.7 %Storm Lake, IA3.7Marion, IA: 3.4 %Marion, IA3.4Waverly, IA: 3.3 %Waverly, IA3.3Clive, IA: 3.2 %Clive, IA3.2Cedar Falls, IA: 3.2 %Cedar Falls, IA3.2Carroll, IA: 3.1 %Carroll, IA3.1Mason City, IA: 3 %Mason City, IA3North Liberty, IA: 2.9 %North Liberty, IA2.9Urbandale, IA: 2.9 %Urbandale, IA2.9Norwalk, IA: 2.7 %Norwalk, IA2.7Coralville, IA: 2.5 %Coralville, IA2.5West Des Moines, IA: 2.5 %West Des Moines, IA2.5Ankeny, IA: 2.2 %Ankeny, IA2.2Bettendorf, IA: 2 %Bettendorf, IA2Johnston, IA: 1.8 %Johnston, IA1.8Boone, IA: 1.7 %Boone, IA1.7Le Mars, IA: 1.5 %Le Mars, IA1.5Pella, IA: 1.1 %Pella, IA1.1Pleasant Hill, IA: 7.5 %Pleasant Hill, IA7.5Altoona, IA: 6.7 %Altoona, IA6.7Ames, IA: 6.4 %Ames, IA6.4Waterloo, IA: 6.4 %Waterloo, IA6.4Grimes, IA: 6.3 %Grimes, IA6.3Des Moines, IA: 5.8 %Des Moines, IA5.8Newton, IA: 5.5 %Newton, IA5.5Spencer, IA: 5.2 %Spencer, IA5.2Davenport, IA: 4.8 %Davenport, IA4.8Muscatine, IA: 4.5 %Muscatine, IA4.5Sioux City, IA: 4.5 %Sioux City, IA4.5Marshalltown, IA: 4.5 %Marshalltown, IA4.5Clinton, IA: 4.5 %Clinton, IA4.5Dubuque, IA: 4.4 %Dubuque, IA4.4Burlington, IA: 4.2 %Burlington, IA4.2Iowa City, IA: 4.2 %Iowa City, IA4.2Council Bluffs, IA: 4.2 %Council Bluffs, IA4.2Oskaloosa, IA: 4.2 %Oskaloosa, IA4.2Fort Dodge, IA: 4.1 %Fort Dodge, IA4.1Waukee, IA: 4.1 %Waukee, IA4.1Cedar Rapids, IA: 3.9 %Cedar Rapids, IA3.9Indianola, IA: 3.9 %Indianola, IA3.9Ottumwa, IA: 3.7 %Ottumwa, IA3.7Storm Lake, IA: 3.7 %Storm Lake, IA3.7Marion, IA: 3.4 %Marion, IA3.4Waverly, IA: 3.3 %Waverly, IA3.3Clive, IA: 3.2 %Clive, IA3.2Cedar Falls, IA: 3.2 %Cedar Falls, IA3.2Carroll, IA: 3.1 %Carroll, IA3.1Mason City, IA: 3 %Mason City, IA3North Liberty, IA: 2.9 %North Liberty, IA2.9Urbandale, IA: 2.9 %Urbandale, IA2.9Norwalk, IA: 2.7 %Norwalk, IA2.7Coralville, IA: 2.5 %Coralville, IA2.5West Des Moines, IA: 2.5 %West Des Moines, IA2.5Ankeny, IA: 2.2 %Ankeny, IA2.2Bettendorf, IA: 2 %Bettendorf, IA2Johnston, IA: 1.8 %Johnston, IA1.8Boone, IA: 1.7 %Boone, IA1.7Le Mars, IA: 1.5 %Le Mars, IA1.5Pella, IA: 1.1 %Pella, IA1.1
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCities2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Pleasant Hill, IA7.5-1.7 pts
2Altoona, IA6.7-0 pts
3Ames, IA6.4-0.7 pts
4Waterloo, IA6.4-0.7 pts
5Grimes, IA6.3-0.2 pts
6Des Moines, IA5.8-0.2 pts
7Newton, IA5.5-0.5 pts
8Spencer, IA5.2-0.1 pts
9Davenport, IA4.8-0.2 pts
10Muscatine, IA4.5+0.3 pts
11Sioux City, IA4.5-0.2 pts
12Marshalltown, IA4.5-2.3 pts
13Clinton, IA4.5-0.7 pts
14Dubuque, IA4.4-0.6 pts
15Burlington, IA4.2+0.2 pts
16Iowa City, IA4.2-0.6 pts
17Council Bluffs, IA4.20 pts
18Oskaloosa, IA4.2-0.2 pts
19Fort Dodge, IA4.1+0.9 pts
20Waukee, IA4.1+1 pts
21Cedar Rapids, IA3.9+0.1 pts
22Indianola, IA3.9-0 pts
23Ottumwa, IA3.7-0.8 pts
24Storm Lake, IA3.7-0.4 pts
25Marion, IA3.4-0.3 pts
26Waverly, IA3.3+0.6 pts
27Clive, IA3.2+0.4 pts
28Cedar Falls, IA3.2+0.2 pts
29Carroll, IA3.1+0.3 pts
30Mason City, IA3-0.4 pts
31North Liberty, IA2.9+1 pts
32Urbandale, IA2.9+0.8 pts
33Norwalk, IA2.7-0.4 pts
34Coralville, IA2.5+0.4 pts
35West Des Moines, IA2.5-0.3 pts
36Ankeny, IA2.2-0.4 pts
37Bettendorf, IA2-0.4 pts
38Johnston, IA1.8-0.2 pts
39Boone, IA1.7+0.9 pts
40Le Mars, IA1.5-1.2 pts
41Pella, IA1.1-0.6 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2023. 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), 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2023.

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), 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_cities_in_iowa_by_2023,
  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), 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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), 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b23025.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unemployment-rate-acs/iowa-cities?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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 7.5% in 2023, 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 2023.

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