We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Iowa’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Iowa based on the percentage of currently divorced residents.
The city with the highest divorce rate in Iowa is Estherville, with 14.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data. The city with the lowest divorce rate in Iowa is Ames.
Iowa is 7.0% divorced overall. There are some 179,788 people living in Iowa over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in Iowa with the highest rates of divorcees.
14.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Emmet County, Iowa
Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,360 in the 2010 census, a decline from 6,656 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County. Estherville is home to the main campus of Iowa Lakes Community College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
14.0% divorced · #2 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Washington County, Iowa
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,266 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
13.0% divorced · #3 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Lee County, Iowa
Keokuk is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is also the most southerly city in Iowa. The population was 10,780 at the 2010 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park. It is located in the extreme southeast corner of Iowa where the Des Moines River meets with the Mississippi. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 61, 136 and 218. Just across the rivers are the towns of Hamilton and Warsaw, Illinois, and Alexandria, Missouri.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Dallas County, Iowa
Perry is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, along the North Raccoon River. The population was 7,702 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Iowa Falls is a city in Hardin County, Iowa, United States. Iowa Falls is the home of Ellsworth Community College. It is also a regional transportation center, located along U.S. Routes 20 and 65 and the Canadian National and Union Pacific Railroads. The population was 5,238 at the 2010 census. A landmark in the city is its movie theater. Built as the Metropolitan Opera House in 1899, it presented plays, operas, and vaudeville in the town during the first half of the twentieth century, and today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Jones County, Iowa
Anamosa is a city in Jones County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,533 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jones County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Fayette County, Iowa
Oelwein is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,415 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 4.1% from the 2000 census. The largest community in Fayette County, it is located at the junction of State Highways 3 and 150.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.0% divorced · #6 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Scott County, Iowa
Eldridge is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,162 in a 2014 census estimate; Eldridge is a suburb and also part of the Quad Cities metropolitan area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #10 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Charles City is a city in Floyd County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,652 at the 2010 census a decrease of 160, or 2%, from 7,812 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Floyd County. Charles City is a significant commercial and transportation center for the area, located on U.S. Highways 18 and 218, Iowa Highway 14, and the Canadian National and Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroads.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.0% divorced · #10 highest divorce rate in Iowa
Located in
Polk County, Iowa
Altoona 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.
Iowa statewide median: $75,059
On the map
Where Iowa’s highest divorce rates are
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Places In Iowa That Get Un-Hitched The Most
We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2020-2024 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status. Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
Today, the analysis focuses on the 85 places in Iowa with a population of over 5,000.
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Iowa the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Estherville.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Ames, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Iowa. We updated this article for 2026 and this list is our eleventh time ranking the cities in Iowa with the highest divorce rates.
The full plate
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Iowa
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estherville | 5,839 | 654 | 14.0% |
| 1 | Washington | 7,290 | 816 | 14.0% |
| 3 | Keokuk | 9,662 | 1,005 | 13.0% |
| 6 | Perry | 7,985 | 767 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Iowa Falls | 5,038 | 484 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Anamosa | 5,629 | 540 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Oelwein | 5,834 | 560 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Eldridge | 6,818 | 655 | 12.0% |
| 10 | Charles City | 7,232 | 636 | 11.0% |
| 10 | Altoona | 21,495 | 1,892 | 11.0% |
| 10 | Knoxville | 7,473 | 658 | 11.0% |
| 10 | Centerville | 5,372 | 473 | 11.0% |
| 15 | Burlington | 23,728 | 1,898 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Atlantic | 6,763 | 541 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Fort Dodge | 24,827 | 1,986 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Clinton | 24,322 | 1,946 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Muscatine | 23,489 | 1,879 | 10.0% |
| 15 | Creston | 7,435 | 595 | 10.0% |
| 24 | Mason City | 27,050 | 1,948 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Mount Pleasant | 8,951 | 644 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Spencer | 11,400 | 821 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Norwalk | 14,183 | 1,021 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Windsor Heights | 5,143 | 370 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Osceola | 5,523 | 398 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Newton | 15,700 | 1,130 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Fort Madison | 10,133 | 730 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Nevada | 6,983 | 503 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Boone | 12,424 | 895 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Ottumwa | 25,430 | 1,831 | 9.0% |
| 24 | Waterloo | 67,008 | 4,825 | 9.0% |
| 37 | Independence | 6,164 | 394 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Red Oak | 5,510 | 353 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Polk City | 6,037 | 386 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Oskaloosa | 11,504 | 736 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Carroll | 10,208 | 653 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Grinnell | 9,505 | 608 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Marshalltown | 27,626 | 1,768 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Manchester | 5,191 | 332 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Marion | 41,896 | 2,681 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Cedar Rapids | 137,264 | 8,785 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Des Moines | 212,421 | 13,595 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Clear Lake | 7,607 | 487 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Hiawatha | 7,206 | 461 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Pleasant Hill | 11,136 | 713 | 8.0% |
| 51 | Adel | 6,430 | 360 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Maquoketa | 6,075 | 340 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Sioux City | 86,101 | 4,822 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Fairfield | 9,456 | 530 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Grimes | 16,366 | 916 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Glenwood | 5,144 | 288 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Dubuque | 59,174 | 3,314 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Bondurant | 8,560 | 479 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Davenport | 100,913 | 5,651 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Clarinda | 5,353 | 300 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Council Bluffs | 62,586 | 3,505 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Indianola | 16,044 | 898 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Webster City | 7,769 | 435 | 7.0% |
| 64 | Winterset | 5,416 | 260 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Waverly | 10,494 | 504 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Spirit Lake | 5,518 | 265 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Sergeant Bluff | 5,171 | 248 | 6.0% |
| 64 | West Des Moines | 71,083 | 3,412 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Le Mars | 10,640 | 511 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Algona | 5,377 | 258 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Cherokee | 5,154 | 247 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Waukee | 29,236 | 1,403 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Ankeny | 72,615 | 3,486 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Tiffin | 5,737 | 275 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Bettendorf | 39,647 | 1,903 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Decorah | 7,535 | 362 | 6.0% |
| 74 | Pella | 10,720 | 429 | 5.0% |
| 74 | North Liberty | 21,125 | 845 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Denison | 8,260 | 330 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Johnston | 24,384 | 975 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Cedar Falls | 40,888 | 1,636 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Sioux Center | 8,454 | 338 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Coralville | 23,234 | 929 | 5.0% |
| 80 | Asbury | 5,989 | 192 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Orange City | 6,426 | 206 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Clive | 19,012 | 608 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Sheldon | 5,474 | 175 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Urbandale | 46,595 | 1,491 | 4.0% |
| 83 | Iowa City | 75,752 | 1,818 | 3.0% |
| 83 | Storm Lake | 11,428 | 274 | 3.0% |
| 85 | Ames | 67,669 | 1,083 | 2.0% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 85 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Getting Some Closure In Iowa After Untying The Knot
We now have a sense of what places in the Hawkeye State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Iowa are Estherville, Washington, Keokuk, Perry, Iowa Falls, Anamosa, Oelwein, Eldridge, Charles City, and Altoona.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Iowa could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce. Not sold on Iowa? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Divorce In Iowa FAQs
What city in Iowa has the highest divorce rate?
Estherville has the highest divorce rate in Iowa for 2026, with 14.0% of residents over 15 currently divorced. Washington and Keokuk are next.
What is the divorce rate in Iowa?
Iowa is 7.0% divorced overall, versus a US divorce rate of 10.9%. That counts residents over 15 who are currently divorced, per the Census American Community Survey.
What are the divorce capitals of Iowa?
The Iowa cities with the highest divorce rates are Estherville, Washington, Keokuk, Perry, Iowa Falls, Anamosa, Oelwein, Eldridge, Charles City, and Altoona. We ranked all 85 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Where do marriages last in Iowa?
Ames posts the lowest divorce rate of the 85 Iowa cities we ranked. Whatever they are doing there, it appears to be working.
How do you measure divorce rates?
We use the share of residents aged 15 and over who report being currently divorced in the Census American Community Survey. It is a snapshot of marital status today, not a count of divorces filed each year.
