100 Biggest Cities In Iowa For 2020

Using the latest Census data, we detail the 100 biggest cities in Iowa. You can all see a comprehensive list of all 285 cities and places in Iowa.

We all love the biggest cities that the Hawkeye State has to offer. You know the places like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids which make all the headlines.

But there are a bunch of other great large cities in Iowa that don't get as much love.

We're going to change that right now.

Using the most recent Census data, we can tell you about all the places in Iowa with a focus on the biggest. We update the data each year and this is our fourth time doing this.

You can click here to see a full table of the full of the 100 biggest cities in Iowa, along with every other place over 1,000 people big. It is sortable by clicking on the headers.

Read on below to see more on the biggest cities. Or for more reading on places to live in Iowa, check out:

• 10 Best Places To Live In Iowa
• 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Iowa
• 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Iowa

How We Determined The Largest Cities In Iowa

We've been ranking and dissecting cities in the Hawkeye State for over 4 years now -- making this actually the fourth time we've run the numbers. We always use the best data, the US Census. In this case, that means we are using the 2013-2017 American Community Survey.

It what is probably the most simple analysis we run each year, we ranked every place in Iowa from biggest to smallest. The biggest city this year? That would be Des Moines.

The smallest? Lawton, although there are places smaller than 1,000 people not listed here, so keep that in mind as we take a look at the top ten.

Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857. It is on and named after the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the French colonial name, Rivire des Moines, meaning "River of the Monks". The city's population was 203,433 as of the 2010 census. The five-county metropolitan area is ranked 89th in terms of population in the United States with 634,725 residents according to the 2016 estimate by the United States Census Bureau.

Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, 20 miles north of Iowa City and 100 miles northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. It is a part of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor of Linn, Benton, Cedar, Jones, Johnson, and Washington counties. Until massive flooding in 2008, the city's government was headquartered in the Veterans Memorial Building, near the Linn County Courthouse and jail on Mays Island in the Cedar River; Cedar Rapids was one of a few cities in the world, along with Paris, France, with governmental offices on a municipal island.

Davenport is the county seat of Scott County in Iowa and is located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. It is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population estimate of 382,630 and a CSA population of 474,226; it is the 90th largest CSA in the nation. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine Le Claire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel who was stationed at nearby Fort Armstrong during the Black Hawk War. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 99,685. The city appealed this figure, arguing that the Census Bureau missed a section of residents, and that its total population was more than 100,000. The Census Bureau estimated Davenport's 2011 population to be 100,802.

Sioux City is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, which makes it the fourth largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, of which it is the county seat, though a small portion is in Plymouth County. Sioux City is located at the navigational head of the Missouri River. Often the city and surrounding area is referred to as Siouxland, especially by the local media and residents. The city is home to several cultural points of interest including the Sioux City Public Museum, Sioux City Art Center and Sergeant Floyd Monument, which is a National Historical Landmark. The city is also home to Chris Larsen Park, commonly referred to as -the Riverfront,- includes the Anderson Dance Pavilion, Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum and Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Sioux City is the primary city of the five-county Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area, with a population of 168,825 in 2010 and a slight increase to an estimated 168,921 in 2012. The Sioux City-Vermillion, IA-NE-SD Combined Statistical Area had a population of 182,675 as of 2010 and has grown to an estimated population of 183,052 as of 2012.

Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 74,398 in 2016, making it the state's fifth-largest city. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County. The metropolitan area, which encompasses Johnson and Washington counties, has a population of over 164,000.

Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406; the 2014 Census estimates the population at 68,364, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo - Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two cities.

Ames is a city located in the central part of Story County, Iowa, United States. It is located approximately 30 miles north of Des Moines, and had a 2010 population of 58,965. The U.S. Census Bureau designates the Ames metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County; combined with the Boone, Iowa micropolitan statistical area, the pair make up the larger Ames-Boone combined statistical area. While Ames is the largest city in Story County, the county seat is in the nearby city of Nevada 8 miles east of Ames.

West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties in the US state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 56,609. West Des Moines is the second-largest city in the Des Moines metropolitan area and the tenth-largest city in Iowa. It ranked 94th in Money magazine's list of the "100 Best Places to Live and Launch" in 2008, 77th and 57th on the 100 Best Places to Live in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and 18th on the Hipster Cities of 2015.

Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous Omaha suburb and a principal city in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, across from Omaha, Nebraska. Council Bluffs was known, until at least 1853, as Kanesville. It was the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail. Kanesville is also the northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails, since there was a steam powered boat to ferry their wagons, and cattle, across the Missouri River.

Ankeny is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and home to Des Moines Area Community College. The population was 45,562 in the 2010 census, an increase of 68% from the 27,117 population in the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of the most affluent cities in all of Iowa.

Now on to numbers 11-100 Biggest in Iowa

We hope that you find the big city, or really any city, that's right for you. Below is a list of the rest of the biggest cities along with every other place in Iowa.

Have fun snacking around in the Hawkeye State!

For more reading on Iowa, check out:

• 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Iowa
• These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In Iowa
• These Are The 10 Richest Cities In Iowa
• 10 Safest Places In Iowa
• 10 Worst Places To Live In Iowa
• Most Expensive Places To Live In Iowa

Detailed List Of The Biggest Cities In Iowa

Rank	City	Current Population	2010	Growth
1	Des Moines	215,932	202,095	6.8%
2	Cedar Rapids	131,360	125,450	4.7%
3	Davenport	102,318	98,325	4.1%
4	Sioux City	82,486	82,106	0.5%
5	Iowa City	74,566	66,758	11.7%
6	Waterloo	68,134	67,893	0.4%
7	Ames	65,937	57,343	15.0%
8	West Des Moines	64,400	54,731	17.7%
9	Council Bluffs	62,478	61,340	1.9%
10	Ankeny	59,152	42,211	40.1%
11	Dubuque	58,340	57,504	1.5%
12	Urbandale	42,881	37,503	14.3%
13	Cedar Falls	41,202	38,178	7.9%
14	Marion	38,699	33,293	16.2%
15	Bettendorf	35,793	32,490	10.2%
16	Mason City	27,309	28,125	-2.9%
17	Marshalltown	27,275	27,096	0.7%
18	Clinton	25,637	27,016	-5.1%
19	Burlington	25,127	25,604	-1.9%
20	Ottumwa	24,676	24,889	-0.9%
21	Fort Dodge	24,417	25,323	-3.6%
22	Muscatine	23,864	22,819	4.6%
23	Johnston	20,767	15,723	32.1%
24	Coralville	20,645	18,186	13.5%
25	Waukee	19,344	12,305	57.2%
26	North Liberty	18,357	11,889	54.4%
27	Altoona	17,936	13,757	30.4%
28	Clive	17,195	14,950	15.0%
29	Indianola	15,653	14,546	7.6%
30	Newton	15,167	15,371	-1.3%
31	Boone	12,529	12,764	-1.8%
32	Grimes	11,930	7,653	55.9%
33	Oskaloosa	11,505	11,393	1.0%
34	Spencer	11,092	11,193	-0.9%
35	Storm Lake	10,672	10,357	3.0%
36	Fort Madison	10,614	11,096	-4.3%
37	Norwalk	10,568	8,622	22.6%
38	Keokuk	10,412	10,802	-3.6%
39	Pella	10,273	10,359	-0.8%
40	Fairfield	10,216	9,451	8.1%
41	Waverly	10,075	9,754	3.3%
42	Carroll	9,899	10,047	-1.5%
43	Le Mars	9,894	9,719	1.8%
44	Pleasant Hill	9,736	8,100	20.2%
45	Grinnell	9,223	9,265	-0.5%
46	Mount Pleasant	8,528	8,743	-2.5%
47	Denison	8,358	8,077	3.5%
48	Creston	7,832	7,738	1.2%
49	Webster City	7,779	8,125	-4.3%
50	Decorah	7,765	8,115	-4.3%
51	Perry	7,667	7,706	-0.5%
52	Clear Lake	7,644	7,799	-2.0%
53	Sioux Center	7,499	6,916	8.4%
54	Charles City	7,413	7,667	-3.3%
55	Washington	7,345	7,261	1.2%
56	Hiawatha	7,281	6,932	5.0%
57	Knoxville	7,200	7,459	-3.5%
58	Nevada	6,798	6,753	0.7%
59	Atlantic	6,709	7,078	-5.2%
60	Eldridge	6,399	5,319	20.3%
61	Orange City	6,115	5,967	2.5%
62	Oelwein	6,050	6,433	-6.0%
63	Independence	6,027	5,987	0.7%
64	Maquoketa	6,026	6,135	-1.8%
65	Estherville	5,859	6,388	-8.3%
66	Bondurant	5,826	3,486	67.1%
67	Centerville	5,487	5,593	-1.9%
68	Asbury	5,469	3,852	42.0%
69	Anamosa	5,461	5,634	-3.1%
70	Algona	5,455	5,569	-2.0%
71	Red Oak	5,434	5,814	-6.5%
72	Clarinda	5,398	5,566	-3.0%
73	Glenwood	5,276	5,354	-1.5%
74	Winterset	5,203	5,138	1.3%
75	Sheldon	5,132	5,046	1.7%
76	Vinton	5,124	5,262	-2.6%
77	Iowa Falls	5,124	5,195	-1.4%
78	Manchester	5,037	5,187	-2.9%
79	Spirit Lake	5,021	4,749	5.7%
80	Osceola	5,021	4,878	2.9%
81	Windsor Heights	4,990	4,835	3.2%
82	Cherokee	4,966	5,205	-4.6%
83	Shenandoah	4,945	5,222	-5.3%
84	Harlan	4,883	5,140	-5.0%
85	Evansdale	4,786	4,666	2.6%
86	Sergeant Bluff	4,669	4,031	15.8%
87	Humboldt	4,583	4,648	-1.4%
88	Polk City	4,481	3,231	38.7%
89	Mount Vernon	4,454	4,375	1.8%
90	Camanche	4,342	4,403	-1.4%
91	Adel	4,316	3,640	18.6%
92	Hampton	4,280	4,420	-3.2%
93	Jefferson	4,160	4,360	-4.6%
94	Chariton	4,151	4,429	-6.3%
95	Carlisle	4,134	3,775	9.5%
96	Dyersville	4,110	4,070	1.0%
97	Forest City	4,089	4,160	-1.7%
98	Le Claire	3,949	3,561	10.9%
99	Monticello	3,835	3,785	1.3%
100	Carter Lake	3,792	3,676	3.2%
101	Cresco	3,780	3,867	-2.2%
102	Emmetsburg	3,771	3,898	-3.3%
103	Albia	3,761	3,746	0.4%
104	West Liberty	3,749	3,659	2.5%
105	Waukon	3,716	3,931	-5.5%
106	Rock Valley	3,712	3,274	13.4%
107	Huxley	3,672	3,132	17.2%
108	Osage	3,574	3,597	-0.6%
109	Saylorville	3,492	3,105	12.5%
110	New Hampton	3,445	3,585	-3.9%
111	Eagle Grove	3,437	3,601	-4.6%
112	Robins	3,414	2,906	17.5%
113	Story City	3,395	3,393	0.1%
114	Tipton	3,196	3,209	-0.4%
115	Williamsburg	3,150	3,015	4.5%
116	Garner	3,059	3,102	-1.4%
117	Tiffin	3,008	1,986	51.5%
118	Milford	2,989	2,844	5.1%
119	West Burlington	2,929	2,977	-1.6%
120	Jesup	2,894	2,592	11.7%
121	Wilton	2,833	2,801	1.1%
122	Onawa	2,830	3,005	-5.8%
123	Tama	2,793	2,870	-2.7%
124	Clarion	2,772	2,861	-3.1%
125	Park View	2,755	2,428	13.5%
126	Hawarden	2,706	2,536	6.7%
127	Grundy Center	2,700	2,673	1.0%
128	Eldora	2,664	2,774	-4.0%
129	Bloomfield	2,658	2,630	1.1%
130	Missouri Valley	2,646	2,886	-8.3%
131	Sibley	2,639	2,804	-5.9%
132	Marengo	2,620	2,546	2.9%
133	La Porte City	2,598	2,637	-1.5%
134	Fairfax	2,596	1,641	58.2%
135	Madrid	2,584	2,505	3.2%
136	Solon	2,581	1,924	34.1%
137	Belmond	2,574	2,287	12.5%
138	West Union	2,561	2,614	-2.0%
139	Rock Rapids	2,556	2,537	0.7%
140	Center Point	2,534	2,428	4.4%
141	Postville	2,530	1,996	26.8%
142	Kalona	2,516	2,449	2.7%
143	Lamoni	2,498	2,501	-0.1%
144	Hudson	2,470	2,334	5.8%
145	Belle Plaine	2,427	2,607	-6.9%
146	Columbus Junction	2,311	2,024	14.2%
147	Mitchellville	2,304	2,529	-8.9%
148	Toledo	2,296	2,595	-11.5%
149	Lisbon	2,281	1,885	21.0%
150	Bellevue	2,267	2,289	-1.0%
151	Northwood	2,205	1,962	12.4%
152	Prairie City	2,204	1,311	68.1%
153	Rockwell City	2,165	2,357	-8.1%
154	Alta	2,152	1,917	12.3%
155	Ida Grove	2,137	2,158	-1.0%
156	Sac City	2,137	2,294	-6.8%
157	Sumner	2,124	2,031	4.6%
158	Lake Mills	2,082	2,162	-3.7%
159	Cascade	2,078	2,272	-8.5%
160	Ely	2,078	1,624	28.0%
161	Mount Ayr	2,066	1,659	24.5%
162	West Branch	2,061	2,468	-16.5%
163	Wapello	2,055	2,343	-12.3%
164	Hull	2,044	1,955	4.6%
165	Leon	2,037	2,105	-3.2%
166	Ogden	1,997	2,410	-17.1%
167	Audubon	1,989	2,177	-8.6%
168	New London	1,941	1,760	10.3%
169	Epworth	1,939	1,809	7.2%
170	Sigourney	1,922	2,101	-8.5%
171	Colfax	1,915	2,743	-30.2%
172	Britt	1,915	2,110	-9.2%
173	Parkersburg	1,913	1,947	-1.7%
174	Atkins	1,861	1,719	8.3%
175	Guttenberg	1,852	1,784	3.8%
176	Manson	1,838	1,648	11.5%
177	Lake City	1,825	1,682	8.5%
178	Granger	1,819	1,035	75.7%
179	Ackley	1,785	1,550	15.2%
180	Remsen	1,748	2,018	-13.4%
181	Peosta	1,746	1,511	15.6%
182	Monroe	1,743	1,868	-6.7%
183	Farley	1,742	1,508	15.5%
184	Dallas Center	1,733	2,085	-16.9%
185	Durant	1,717	1,907	-10.0%
186	Pleasantville	1,715	1,605	6.9%
187	Mediapolis	1,713	1,812	-5.5%
188	Greenfield	1,713	1,973	-13.2%
189	Pocahontas	1,712	1,698	0.8%
190	Hartley	1,698	1,796	-5.5%
191	Corydon	1,682	1,410	19.3%
192	Denver	1,676	1,827	-8.3%
193	Moville	1,669	1,743	-4.2%
194	Traer	1,603	1,681	-4.6%
195	State Center	1,595	1,436	11.1%
196	Logan	1,592	1,571	1.3%
197	Woodbine	1,585	1,603	-1.1%
198	Kingsley	1,581	1,317	20.0%
199	Monona	1,581	1,844	-14.3%
200	Guthrie Center	1,570	1,562	0.5%
201	Bedford	1,566	1,651	-5.1%
202	Corning	1,566	1,674	-6.5%
203	Lenox	1,557	1,315	18.4%
204	Slater	1,556	1,583	-1.7%
205	Brooklyn	1,549	1,322	17.2%
206	Woodward	1,543	1,165	32.4%
207	Akron	1,542	1,512	2.0%
208	Manning	1,542	1,713	-10.0%
209	Walcott	1,539	1,570	-2.0%
210	Oakland	1,533	1,626	-5.7%
211	Nora Springs	1,523	1,557	-2.2%
212	Nashua	1,515	1,646	-8.0%
213	Stuart	1,501	1,649	-9.0%
214	Reinbeck	1,492	1,963	-24.0%
215	Earlham	1,489	1,845	-19.3%
216	Urbana	1,477	1,409	4.8%
217	Blue Grass	1,473	1,382	6.6%
218	Manly	1,471	1,181	24.6%
219	Walford	1,471	1,519	-3.2%
220	Sanborn	1,452	1,302	11.5%
221	Clarksville	1,448	1,558	-7.1%
222	Dysart	1,437	1,520	-5.5%
223	Avoca	1,427	1,555	-8.2%
224	Shell Rock	1,396	1,335	4.6%
225	Montezuma	1,388	1,617	-14.2%
226	Elkader	1,381	1,281	7.8%
227	Strawberry Point	1,376	1,246	10.4%
228	Holstein	1,354	1,474	-8.1%
229	Villisca	1,340	1,354	-1.0%
230	Central City	1,334	1,250	6.7%
231	Wellman	1,333	1,484	-10.2%
232	Alton	1,299	1,077	20.6%
233	Coon Rapids	1,283	1,181	8.6%
234	Jewell Junction	1,265	1,006	25.7%
235	Melcher-Dallas	1,255	1,276	-1.6%
236	Tabor	1,254	1,303	-3.8%
237	St. Ansgar	1,237	1,205	2.7%
238	Lone Tree	1,236	1,333	-7.3%
239	Dike	1,235	1,095	12.8%
240	Marcus	1,234	979	26.0%
241	Roland	1,233	1,349	-8.6%
242	Laurens	1,224	1,402	-12.7%
243	Eddyville	1,219	898	35.7%
244	Tripoli	1,210	1,301	-7.0%
245	University Heights	1,206	1,111	8.6%
246	Lake Park	1,201	1,115	7.7%
247	Mapleton	1,196	1,314	-9.0%
248	Van Meter	1,192	1,199	-0.6%
249	Griswold	1,189	975	21.9%
250	Sloan	1,186	1,046	13.4%
251	Buffalo	1,184	1,244	-4.8%
252	Palo	1,182	912	29.6%
253	Glidden	1,177	1,132	4.0%
254	Arnolds Park	1,173	933	25.7%
255	Panora	1,162	1,228	-5.4%
256	Fairbank	1,154	1,236	-6.6%
257	George	1,150	1,293	-11.1%
258	Fayette	1,146	1,481	-22.6%
259	New Sharon	1,146	1,262	-9.2%
260	Fredericksburg	1,136	870	30.6%
261	Anita	1,127	1,049	7.4%
262	Hamburg	1,119	1,156	-3.2%
263	Princeton	1,114	966	15.3%
264	Allison	1,106	1,009	9.6%
265	North English	1,106	978	13.1%
266	Sheffield	1,101	1,277	-13.8%
267	Springville	1,093	1,042	4.9%
268	Sidney	1,081	1,008	7.2%
269	Eldon	1,071	948	13.0%
270	Paullina	1,067	1,081	-1.3%
271	Lake View	1,062	1,301	-18.4%
272	Wayland	1,061	903	17.5%
273	Conrad	1,053	932	13.0%
274	Fruitland	1,050	1,349	-22.2%
275	Winfield	1,042	1,433	-27.3%
276	Danville	1,042	949	9.8%
277	Beaverdale	1,032	982	5.1%
278	Baxter	1,029	1,153	-10.8%
279	Keota	1,027	1,097	-6.4%
280	Calmar	1,017	996	2.1%
281	Odebolt	1,011	1,291	-21.7%
282	Long Grove	1,007	948	6.2%
283	Greene	1,006	1,177	-14.5%
284	Malvern	1,005	1,158	-13.2%
285	Lawton	1,001	937	6.8%

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