The 10 Best Places To Retire In Iowa For 2024


The best places to retire in Iowa are Carroll and Boone for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

There is more to Iowa than farmers, Hawkeyes fans, and Des Moines. There are many awesome places in the great Midwest for those looking to retire.

Take a look below at our list of the best places to retire in Iowa for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best places to retire in the Hawkeye State.

To determine Iowa’s best places to retire, we looked at the latest FBI and Census reports on crime, demographics, affordable housing, distance to the closest international airport, and amenities for 38 cities with over 10,000 residents. The numbers don’t lie.

We discovered that the best places to retire in Iowa are also some of the state’s safest. Secondly, many of the top ten have great rates if you choose to rent. And the ultimate reason to move to one of Iowa’s best places to retire is that they house some of the nicest people.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The 10 Best Places To Retire In Iowa For 2024

  1. Carroll
  2. Boone
  3. Newton
  4. Fort Madison
  5. Spencer
  6. Clinton
  7. Oskaloosa
  8. Bettendorf
  9. Norwalk
  10. Pella

Where is the best place to retire in Iowa for 2024? Carroll is the best place to retire in Iowa according to the most recent data.

If you’re already kicking up your feet in one of Iowa’s best places to retire, congrats. If not, look at our list below before making any life-changing decisions.

Why did Carroll take the top spot? And where are Des Moines and Cedar Rapids?

For more Iowa state reading:

The 10 Best Places To Retire In Iowa For 2024

Carroll, IA

Source: Wikipedia User David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 10,270
Median Income: $60,368
Median Home Price: $184,709
Median Rent: $695
Distance to Closest Airport: 72 miles
More on Carroll: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Boone, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Dan Breyfogle | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,482
Median Income: $64,192
Median Home Price: $166,057
Median Rent: $837
Distance to Closest Airport: 37 miles
More on Boone: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Newton, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 15,692
Median Income: $53,873
Median Home Price: $161,059
Median Rent: $826
Distance to Closest Airport: 34 miles
More on Newton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Fort Madison, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,293
Median Income: $48,944
Median Home Price: $102,359
Median Rent: $806
Distance to Closest Airport: 72 miles
More on Fort Madison: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Spencer, IA

Source: Flickr User Nels_P_Olsen | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 11,351
Median Income: $57,175
Median Home Price: $172,012
Median Rent: $737
Distance to Closest Airport: 134 miles
More on Spencer: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Clinton, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Michael J. Kearney | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 24,524
Median Income: $55,196
Median Home Price: $118,088
Median Rent: $746
Distance to Closest Airport: 30 miles
More on Clinton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Oskaloosa, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,492
Median Income: $57,949
Median Home Price: $162,462
Median Rent: $815
Distance to Closest Airport: 55 miles
More on Oskaloosa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Bettendorf, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 38,997
Median Income: $100,570
Median Home Price: $294,879
Median Rent: $1,060
Distance to Closest Airport: 8 miles
More on Bettendorf: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Norwalk, IA

Source: Flickr User Capncavedan | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,057
Median Income: $94,176
Median Home Price: $318,235
Median Rent: $956
Distance to Closest Airport: 3 miles
More on Norwalk: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Pella, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Dekkanar at English Wikipedia | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 10,556
Median Income: $86,025
Median Home Price: $313,636
Median Rent: $1,025
Distance to Closest Airport: 39 miles
More on Pella: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Hawkeye State for 2024

To create our ranking of the best places in Iowa to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Hawkeye State — 1002 cities and towns.

We then narrowed it down to places with at least 10,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 38 places from across the state.

For these 38, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:

  • Low cost of living as measured by rent
  • Low crime
  • Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
  • Nice weather
  • Distance to the closest international airport
  • Other retirees (High median age)

We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 38, with the lowest number being the best.

Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Carroll, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.

The report has been updated for 2024. This list reflects our tenth time ranking the best places to retire in Iowa.

Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In Iowa Yet…

So there you have it, the best place to retire in Iowa goes to Carroll.

The best places to retire in Iowa are Carroll, Boone, Newton, Fort Madison, Spencer, Clinton, Oskaloosa, Bettendorf, Norwalk, and Pella.

If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:

  1. Cedar Falls
  2. North Liberty
  3. Coralville

For more Iowa reading, check out:

Best Places To Retire In Iowa

Rank City Population Median Income Average Home Prices Median Rent
1 Carroll 10,270 $60,368 $184,709 $695
2 Boone 12,482 $64,192 $166,057 $837
3 Newton 15,692 $53,873 $161,059 $826
4 Fort Madison 10,293 $48,944 $102,359 $806
5 Spencer 11,351 $57,175 $172,012 $737
6 Clinton 24,524 $55,196 $118,088 $746
7 Oskaloosa 11,492 $57,949 $162,462 $815
8 Bettendorf 38,997 $100,570 $294,879 $1,060
9 Norwalk 13,057 $94,176 $318,235 $956
10 Pella 10,556 $86,025 $313,636 $1,025
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.