Is being in an area of Iowa that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, while others want peace and quiet like in Iowa Falls and Windsor Heights, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in Iowa have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Hawkeye State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
188.9% growth since 2010 · 3,751 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
145.6% growth since 2010 · 5,074 net new residents
Bondurant is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,860 in the 2010 census, an increase of 109% from the 1,846 population in the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
137.6% growth since 2010 · 16,931 net new residents
Located in
Dallas County, IowaWaukee is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 13,790 at the 2010 Census; a fast growth has been measured since as it is estimated there were 19,284 people living in Waukee in 2016. It is part of the Des Moines – West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
113.9% growth since 2010 · 8,713 net new residents
Located in
Polk County, IowaGrimes is a city in Dallas and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 8,246 at the 2010 census. Grimes is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
86.8% growth since 2010 · 2,806 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
77.7% growth since 2010 · 9,236 net new residents
Located in
Johnson County, IowaNorth Liberty is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
76.6% growth since 2010 · 2,790 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
72.0% growth since 2010 · 30,404 net new residents
Located in
Polk County, IowaAnkeny 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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
64.5% growth since 2010 · 5,561 net new residents
Located in
Warren County, IowaNorwalk is a city in Warren County, with some small portions extending into Polk County, in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 8,945 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located just south of the Des Moines International Airport.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
56.2% growth since 2010 · 7,738 net new residents
Located in
Polk County, IowaAltoona is a city in Polk County, Iowa, United States and is a part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,541 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Iowa’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Iowa’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Hawkeye State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 85 Iowa cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Hawkeye State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in Iowa.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In Iowa For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiffin | 5,737 | 1,986 | 188.9% | 3,751 |
| 2 | Bondurant | 8,560 | 3,486 | 145.6% | 5,074 |
| 3 | Waukee | 29,236 | 12,305 | 137.6% | 16,931 |
| 4 | Grimes | 16,366 | 7,653 | 113.9% | 8,713 |
| 5 | Polk City | 6,037 | 3,231 | 86.8% | 2,806 |
| 6 | North Liberty | 21,125 | 11,889 | 77.7% | 9,236 |
| 7 | Adel | 6,430 | 3,640 | 76.6% | 2,790 |
| 8 | Ankeny | 72,615 | 42,211 | 72.0% | 30,404 |
| 9 | Norwalk | 14,183 | 8,622 | 64.5% | 5,561 |
| 10 | Altoona | 21,495 | 13,757 | 56.2% | 7,738 |
| 11 | Asbury | 5,989 | 3,852 | 55.5% | 2,137 |
| 12 | Johnston | 24,384 | 15,723 | 55.1% | 8,661 |
| 13 | Pleasant Hill | 11,136 | 8,100 | 37.5% | 3,036 |
| 14 | West Des Moines | 71,083 | 54,731 | 29.9% | 16,352 |
| 15 | Sergeant Bluff | 5,171 | 4,031 | 28.3% | 1,140 |
| 16 | Eldridge | 6,818 | 5,319 | 28.2% | 1,499 |
| 17 | Coralville | 23,234 | 18,186 | 27.8% | 5,048 |
| 18 | Clive | 19,012 | 14,950 | 27.2% | 4,062 |
| 19 | Marion | 41,896 | 33,293 | 25.8% | 8,603 |
| 20 | Urbandale | 46,595 | 37,503 | 24.2% | 9,092 |
| 21 | Sioux Center | 8,454 | 6,916 | 22.2% | 1,538 |
| 22 | Bettendorf | 39,647 | 32,490 | 22.0% | 7,157 |
| 23 | Ames | 67,669 | 57,343 | 18.0% | 10,326 |
| 24 | Spirit Lake | 5,518 | 4,749 | 16.2% | 769 |
| 25 | Iowa City | 75,752 | 66,758 | 13.5% | 8,994 |
| 26 | Osceola | 5,523 | 4,878 | 13.2% | 645 |
| 27 | Storm Lake | 11,428 | 10,357 | 10.3% | 1,071 |
| 28 | Indianola | 16,044 | 14,546 | 10.3% | 1,498 |
| 29 | Le Mars | 10,640 | 9,719 | 9.5% | 921 |
| 30 | Cedar Rapids | 137,264 | 125,450 | 9.4% | 11,814 |
| 31 | Sheldon | 5,474 | 5,046 | 8.5% | 428 |
| 32 | Orange City | 6,426 | 5,967 | 7.7% | 459 |
| 33 | Waverly | 10,494 | 9,754 | 7.6% | 740 |
| 34 | Cedar Falls | 40,888 | 38,178 | 7.1% | 2,710 |
| 35 | Windsor Heights | 5,143 | 4,835 | 6.4% | 308 |
| 36 | Winterset | 5,416 | 5,138 | 5.4% | 278 |
| 37 | Des Moines | 212,421 | 202,095 | 5.1% | 10,326 |
| 38 | Sioux City | 86,101 | 82,106 | 4.9% | 3,995 |
| 39 | Hiawatha | 7,206 | 6,932 | 4.0% | 274 |
| 40 | Perry | 7,985 | 7,706 | 3.6% | 279 |
| 41 | Pella | 10,720 | 10,359 | 3.5% | 361 |
| 42 | Nevada | 6,983 | 6,753 | 3.4% | 230 |
| 43 | Independence | 6,164 | 5,987 | 3.0% | 177 |
| 44 | Muscatine | 23,489 | 22,819 | 2.9% | 670 |
| 45 | Dubuque | 59,174 | 57,504 | 2.9% | 1,670 |
| 46 | Davenport | 100,913 | 98,325 | 2.6% | 2,588 |
| 47 | Grinnell | 9,505 | 9,265 | 2.6% | 240 |
| 48 | Mount Pleasant | 8,951 | 8,743 | 2.4% | 208 |
| 49 | Denison | 8,260 | 8,077 | 2.3% | 183 |
| 50 | Ottumwa | 25,430 | 24,889 | 2.2% | 541 |
| 51 | Newton | 15,700 | 15,371 | 2.1% | 329 |
| 52 | Council Bluffs | 62,586 | 61,340 | 2.0% | 1,246 |
| 53 | Marshalltown | 27,626 | 27,096 | 2.0% | 530 |
| 54 | Spencer | 11,400 | 11,193 | 1.8% | 207 |
| 55 | Carroll | 10,208 | 10,047 | 1.6% | 161 |
| 56 | Oskaloosa | 11,504 | 11,393 | 1.0% | 111 |
| 57 | Washington | 7,290 | 7,261 | 0.4% | 29 |
| 58 | Knoxville | 7,473 | 7,459 | 0.2% | 14 |
| 59 | Manchester | 5,191 | 5,187 | 0.1% | 4 |
| 60 | Fairfield | 9,456 | 9,451 | 0.1% | 5 |
| 61 | Anamosa | 5,629 | 5,634 | -0.1% | -5 |
| 62 | Maquoketa | 6,075 | 6,135 | -1.0% | -60 |
| 63 | Cherokee | 5,154 | 5,205 | -1.0% | -51 |
| 64 | Waterloo | 67,008 | 67,893 | -1.3% | -885 |
| 65 | Fort Dodge | 24,827 | 25,323 | -2.0% | -496 |
| 66 | Clear Lake | 7,607 | 7,799 | -2.5% | -192 |
| 67 | Boone | 12,424 | 12,764 | -2.7% | -340 |
| 68 | Iowa Falls | 5,038 | 5,195 | -3.0% | -157 |
| 69 | Algona | 5,377 | 5,569 | -3.4% | -192 |
| 70 | Mason City | 27,050 | 28,125 | -3.8% | -1,075 |
| 71 | Clarinda | 5,353 | 5,566 | -3.8% | -213 |
| 72 | Creston | 7,435 | 7,738 | -3.9% | -303 |
| 73 | Glenwood | 5,144 | 5,354 | -3.9% | -210 |
| 74 | Centerville | 5,372 | 5,593 | -4.0% | -221 |
| 75 | Webster City | 7,769 | 8,125 | -4.4% | -356 |
| 76 | Atlantic | 6,763 | 7,078 | -4.5% | -315 |
| 77 | Red Oak | 5,510 | 5,814 | -5.2% | -304 |
| 78 | Charles City | 7,232 | 7,667 | -5.7% | -435 |
| 79 | Decorah | 7,535 | 8,115 | -7.1% | -580 |
| 80 | Burlington | 23,728 | 25,604 | -7.3% | -1,876 |
| 81 | Estherville | 5,839 | 6,388 | -8.6% | -549 |
| 82 | Fort Madison | 10,133 | 11,096 | -8.7% | -963 |
| 83 | Oelwein | 5,834 | 6,433 | -9.3% | -599 |
| 84 | Clinton | 24,322 | 27,016 | -10.0% | -2,694 |
| 85 | Keokuk | 9,662 | 10,802 | -10.6% | -1,140 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 85 Iowa cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Iowa, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Iowa are led by Tiffin which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in Iowa are Tiffin, Bondurant, Waukee, Grimes, Polk City, North Liberty, Adel, Ankeny, Norwalk, and Altoona.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
