Johnson County · Iowa · Midwest · 76k residents
Iowa City, IA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Iowa City: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Iowa median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,279/wk. Iowa's corporate income tax rate is 7.1%. Commercial electricity averages 10.2¢/kWh.
Compare Iowa City side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,279/wk
Corporate income tax
7.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
60.5%
Commercial electricity
10.2¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Iowa City's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
83/100
Heating
Ranks Iowa City's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $285,900 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $145 |
| Property tax rate | 1.5% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $889/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,120/mo |
| State & local income tax | 5.3% |
| Sales tax | 6.9% |
| Corporate income tax | 7.1% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,279/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.2¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 31.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $107,680 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $85,940 |
| Wage: General manager | $81,120 |
| Wage: Customer service | $42,340 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $36,440 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $61,960 |
| Wage: Electrician | $59,510 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $29,940 |
| Cost of living index | 85 |
| Groceries index | 94 |
| Utilities | $150/mo |
| Transit pass | $48/mo |
| Gas price | $3.00/gal |
| Healthcare index | 94 |
| Childcare (per child) | $950/mo |
| Median household income | $58,546 |
| Unemployment rate | 3% |
| Population | 76k |
| Crime index | 38/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 87/100 |
| Avg. commute | 19 min |
| Sunny days / year | 200 days |
| July high | 86°F |
| January low | 15°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +4.7% |
| Home price MoM | 0.0% |
| Rent YoY | +4.1% |
| Rent MoM | -0.2% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +2.2% |
| Building permits YoY | +21.1% |
| Ocean coast | 792 mi |
| Big lake | 167 mi |
| Mountains | 285 mi |
| Major airport | 19 mi |
| Ski resort | 221 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Coralville, IA · 23k
- North Liberty, IA · 21k
- Cedar Rapids, IA · 137k
- Marion, IA · 42k
- Muscatine, IA · 23k
Similar size
- Ankeny, IA · 73k
- West Des Moines, IA · 71k
- Ames, IA · 68k
- Waterloo, IA · 67k
- Sioux City, IA · 86k
Real listings in Iowa City
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Iowa City a good place to run a business?
- Iowa's corporate income tax rate is 7.1%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,279/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.2¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Iowa City, IA?
- Iowa City indexes at 85 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,120/mo and a acs median home value of $285,900.
- How much does a house cost in Iowa City?
- The acs median home value in Iowa City is $285,900 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Iowa City?
- A two-bedroom in Iowa City rents for about $1,120/mo.