The 10 Best Cities For Singles In Iowa For 2023


We used science and data to determine which cities in Iowa have the best set up for singles: no kids, no old people, and a lot to do.

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Are you trying to find love in Iowa?

Or are you just looking to hook up?

Either way, we've got you covered here. At least, we'll point you in the right direction - which is why you came here in the first place, right?

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who have remained single (not married) is growing. That means, people are dating a lot longer than they used to.

There are many reasons for that, including financial and cultural. And, we suspect smartphones and social media has a lot to do with it, too. After all, we're all a lot more distracted these days.

If you live in Iowa, there's a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Hawkeye State ranks in the top 10 when it comes to number of people over the age of 18 who aren't married, or in a serious relationship. That's great news for people looking for their match.

So, where are the best cities for singles in Iowa? We've got the answers here.

So, what was the best city for singles in Iowa? Ames ranks as the best place for singles in Iowa if you care about things singles care about like night life, affordable housing, and other singles.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each city ranked. If you live in or really close to one of these cities, and you're single, you should probably get out more often. And stop staring at your phone. Just sayin'.

The most boring place in Iowa? That would be Pleasant Hill.

And after you find a mate, you'll no doubt want to start a family and buy a home right? Don't forget to check out the best places to live in Iowa or the safest places to live in Iowa.

For more Iowa reading, check out:

The 10 Best Cities For Singles In Iowa For 2023

Ames, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 65,522
Median Age: 23.4
Married households: 14.0%
Households with kids: 16.6%
More on Ames: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Coralville, IA

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 22,226
Median Age: 32.6
Married households: 18.0%
Households with kids: 27.6%
More on Coralville: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Des Moines, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 213,545
Median Age: 34.2
Married households: 22.0%
Households with kids: 30.3%
More on Des Moines: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Cedar Rapids, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 136,512
Median Age: 36.4
Married households: 29.0%
Households with kids: 28.2%
More on Cedar Rapids: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Davenport, IA

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 101,725
Median Age: 37.8
Married households: 23.0%
Households with kids: 25.5%
More on Davenport: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Storm Lake, IA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,166
Median Age: 30.6
Married households: 16.0%
Households with kids: 31.3%
More on Storm Lake: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

West Des Moines, IA

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 67,640
Median Age: 36.1
Married households: 26.0%
Households with kids: 27.5%
More on West Des Moines: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Fort Dodge, IA

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 24,826
Median Age: 37.0
Married households: 25.0%
Households with kids: 23.1%
More on Fort Dodge: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Cedar Falls, IA

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 40,500
Median Age: 28.0
Married households: 28.0%
Households with kids: 23.1%
More on Cedar Falls: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Oskaloosa, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,552
Median Age: 35.2
Married households: 31.0%
Households with kids: 31.2%
More on Oskaloosa: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Methodology: How do you determine which city is best for singles in Iowa anyways?

To give you the places in Iowa which are best for singles to find one another, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what single people like.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the numbers for the Hawkeye State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2017-2021 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of Iowa, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Population density
  • % of population that's male vs. female (closer to a 50-50 ratio is better)
  • % of households with kids
  • Median age
  • Number of unmarried people in each city

We then gave each city a Singles Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for singles to find one another. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For Iowa, that meant a total of 39 cities. You can download the data here.

Read on to see why Ames is the talk of the town while Pleasant Hill is probably a bit on the boring side.

Summary: The Best Cities for Singles in Iowa for 2023

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Iowa ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the most boring cities in Iowa according to the data:

  1. Pleasant Hill
  2. Norwalk
  3. Grimes

For more Iowa reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Cities For Singles In Iowa

Rank City Population Median Age
1 Ames, IA 65,522 23.4
2 Coralville, IA 22,226 32.6
3 Des Moines, IA 213,545 34.2
4 Cedar Rapids, IA 136,512 36.4
5 Davenport, IA 101,725 37.8
6 Storm Lake, IA 11,166 30.6
7 West Des Moines, IA 67,640 36.1
8 Fort Dodge, IA 24,826 37.0
9 Cedar Falls, IA 40,500 28.0
10 Oskaloosa, IA 11,552 35.2
11 Dubuque, IA 59,379 37.6
12 Council Bluffs, IA 62,617 38.6
13 Waterloo, IA 67,695 36.8
14 Marshalltown, IA 27,570 36.0
15 Muscatine, IA 23,759 36.3
16 Ankeny, IA 66,346 32.9
17 Ottumwa, IA 25,379 37.7
18 North Liberty, IA 19,976 31.8
19 Clive, IA 18,323 37.8
20 Indianola, IA 15,544 35.4
21 Urbandale, IA 45,037 38.0
22 Clinton, IA 24,651 42.1
23 Burlington, IA 24,160 42.4
24 Bettendorf, IA 38,631 38.9
25 Boone, IA 12,509 39.5
26 Carroll, IA 10,261 43.2
27 Waverly, IA 10,278 33.3
28 Pella, IA 10,414 36.5
29 Altoona, IA 19,345 36.2
30 Johnston, IA 23,418 37.7
31 Newton, IA 15,688 40.6
32 Spencer, IA 11,292 40.8
33 Fort Madison, IA 10,340 42.9
34 Marion, IA 41,023 39.3
35 Waukee, IA 23,441 34.1
36 Le Mars, IA 10,462 39.1
37 Grimes, IA 14,842 35.6
38 Norwalk, IA 12,592 36.0
39 Pleasant Hill, IA 10,203 39.0

How Is The Area In ?

Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the best cities for singles in Iowa.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.