Wondering where the richest folks live in the Hawkeye State? Wonder no longer, because we’ve used Saturday Night Science to take the guesswork out of determining the wealthiest places in Iowa.
We started by narrowing down our search to only cities with a population of at least 3,000, which left us with 120 cities. Then, we looked for the cities with the highest median household incomes and home prices. That left us with only the most-moneyed spots in Iowa.
The places in Iowa with the highest concentration of wealth are largely around the state’s capital and biggest city, Des Moines. About half the cities on this list are suburbs of Des Moines, with Waukee being the richest of the rich suburbs. If you’re looking for money in the eastern part of the state, North Liberty, situated between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, is your best bet.
In any case, you don’t usually have to travel far from Iowa’s biggest cities to find the hordes of wealth.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There was a good amount of overlap between the wealthiest cities and the safest and best cities in Iowa. Money doesn’t automatically make a city safe or great, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
What city is the richest in Iowa? According to the data, Clive is the wealthiest city in Iowa for 2025.
So if you want to know what Iowan cities have corn made of gold, serve fried catfish with a side of caviar, and wear tuxedos to the state fair, read on.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Iowa:
The 10 Richest Cities In Iowa For 2025
1. Clive
/10
Population: 18,776
Median Income: $131,082
Median Home Values: $430,398
More on Clive: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
2. Polk City
/10
3. Asbury
/10
Population: 5,949
Median Income: $130,071
Median Home Values: $375,368
More on Asbury: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
4. Solon
/10
Population: 3,092
Median Income: $111,597
Median Home Values: $442,202
More on Solon:
5. Robins
/10
Population: 3,349
Median Income: $122,500
Median Home Values: $392,978
More on Robins: Data
6. Sergeant Bluff
/10
7. Urbandale
/10
Population: 46,026
Median Income: $113,086
Median Home Values: $352,571
More on Urbandale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
8. Bondurant
/10
Population: 8,061
Median Income: $128,341
Median Home Values: $340,827
More on Bondurant: Data | Cost Of Living
9. Johnston
/10
Population: 24,196
Median Income: $103,430
Median Home Values: $398,377
More on Johnston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
10. Huxley
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Iowa For 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 120 places with more than 3,000 people in Iowa, we ranked each place from 1 to 120 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Clive, crowned the “Richest City In Iowa For 2025.”
The data has been updated for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Iowa.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 120 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Iowa For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Iowa, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Iowa.
The richest cities in Iowa are Clive, Polk City, Asbury, Solon, Robins, Sergeant Bluff, Urbandale, Bondurant, Johnston, and Huxley.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Iowa, according to data:
Poorest: Centerville
2nd Poorest: Keokuk
3rd Poorest: Fort Madison
For more Iowa reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Iowa
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clive | 2.0 | $131,082 | $430,398 |
| 2 | Polk City | 2.0 | $163,000 | $427,409 |
| 3 | Asbury | 5.0 | $130,071 | $375,368 |
| 4 | Solon | 5.0 | $111,597 | $442,202 |
| 5 | Robins | 6.5 | $122,500 | $392,978 |
| 6 | Sergeant Bluff | 8.0 | $122,610 | $352,394 |
| 7 | Urbandale | 8.5 | $113,086 | $352,571 |
| 8 | Bondurant | 10.0 | $128,341 | $340,827 |
| 9 | Johnston | 10.5 | $103,430 | $398,377 |
| 10 | Huxley | 11.0 | $122,716 | $340,504 |
| 11 | Waukee | 11.5 | $106,728 | $347,631 |
| 12 | Adel | 12.5 | $96,905 | $403,079 |
| 13 | Grimes | 13.0 | $104,497 | $349,908 |
| 14 | Le Claire | 13.5 | $100,404 | $371,593 |
| 15 | Ankeny | 14.5 | $106,603 | $339,938 |
| 16 | Mount Vernon | 15.5 | $106,356 | $339,389 |
| 17 | Eldridge | 16.5 | $101,089 | $341,636 |
| 18 | Tiffin | 17.5 | $106,034 | $324,435 |
| 19 | Sioux Center | 19.0 | $87,555 | $344,126 |
| 20 | Pella | 20.5 | $81,201 | $350,815 |
| 21 | Norwalk | 21.0 | $94,583 | $335,775 |
| 22 | Bettendorf | 21.5 | $102,917 | $318,383 |
| 23 | Altoona | 24.0 | $87,123 | $324,324 |
| 24 | North Liberty | 24.0 | $103,933 | $302,211 |
| 25 | West Des Moines | 26.5 | $84,925 | $322,301 |
| 26 | Carlisle | 28.0 | $98,333 | $285,719 |
| 27 | Orange City | 28.0 | $81,667 | $314,417 |
| 28 | Spirit Lake | 28.5 | $73,627 | $330,650 |
| 29 | Pleasant Hill | 29.5 | $86,890 | $302,702 |
| 30 | Windsor Heights | 31.0 | $89,083 | $279,358 |
| 31 | Indianola | 31.5 | $78,125 | $305,301 |
| 32 | Clear Lake | 33.0 | $70,278 | $323,838 |
| 33 | Marion | 34.5 | $87,105 | $268,092 |
| 34 | Waverly | 35.5 | $78,429 | $274,546 |
| 35 | Glenwood | 36.0 | $69,320 | $313,215 |
| 36 | Dyersville | 37.5 | $72,768 | $282,897 |
| 37 | Story City | 39.0 | $73,558 | $273,254 |
| 38 | Winterset | 40.0 | $69,268 | $291,985 |
| 39 | Cedar Falls | 40.5 | $74,165 | $261,299 |
| 40 | Le Mars | 41.5 | $72,381 | $267,047 |
| 41 | Nevada | 41.5 | $75,221 | $240,651 |
| 42 | Rock Valley | 42.5 | $67,012 | $307,920 |
| 43 | Hiawatha | 50.0 | $67,628 | $257,124 |
| 44 | Independence | 50.0 | $72,250 | $216,200 |
| 45 | Garner | 50.5 | $68,964 | $227,206 |
| 46 | Carter Lake | 51.0 | $75,037 | $202,093 |
| 47 | Decorah | 52.0 | $62,177 | $306,572 |
| 48 | Coralville | 52.5 | $66,508 | $256,980 |
| 49 | Williamsburg | 52.5 | $65,607 | $262,377 |
| 50 | Tipton | 52.5 | $67,625 | $236,712 |
| 51 | Monticello | 54.0 | $67,788 | $227,015 |
| 52 | Sheldon | 55.0 | $68,448 | $213,027 |
| 53 | Knoxville | 55.0 | $70,136 | $202,532 |
| 54 | Dubuque | 56.0 | $64,985 | $243,017 |
| 55 | Vinton | 57.5 | $65,488 | $228,425 |
| 56 | Cedar Rapids | 57.5 | $67,859 | $204,962 |
| 57 | West Liberty | 58.0 | $66,132 | $221,712 |
| 58 | Camanche | 59.0 | $68,727 | $200,613 |
| 59 | Milford | 59.0 | $60,571 | $281,017 |
| 60 | Boone | 59.5 | $67,269 | $206,670 |
| 61 | Humboldt | 61.0 | $70,661 | $183,381 |
| 62 | Iowa City | 61.0 | $57,533 | $295,887 |
| 63 | Ames | 61.5 | $60,102 | $271,994 |
| 64 | Council Bluffs | 62.5 | $64,092 | $219,415 |
| 65 | Grinnell | 64.0 | $64,426 | $207,130 |
| 66 | Des Moines | 65.0 | $63,966 | $208,186 |
| 67 | Marshalltown | 68.0 | $68,854 | $171,195 |
| 68 | Sioux City | 69.0 | $65,473 | $195,631 |
| 69 | Osage | 69.5 | $62,309 | $202,773 |
| 70 | Manchester | 71.0 | $58,578 | $222,713 |
| 71 | Albia | 72.0 | $67,791 | $164,229 |
| 72 | Davenport | 74.0 | $64,497 | $183,108 |
| 73 | Osceola | 74.5 | $62,363 | $193,821 |
| 74 | Cresco | 75.0 | $60,769 | $199,126 |
| 75 | Carroll | 76.0 | $59,323 | $201,719 |
| 76 | Anamosa | 76.0 | $56,167 | $233,518 |
| 77 | Waukon | 76.0 | $56,250 | $231,422 |
| 78 | Forest City | 77.5 | $62,917 | $180,951 |
| 79 | Denison | 77.5 | $63,850 | $179,563 |
| 80 | Oskaloosa | 79.0 | $62,172 | $183,238 |
| 81 | Perry | 79.5 | $63,983 | $168,065 |
| 82 | Webster City | 80.0 | $65,844 | $148,353 |
| 83 | Mount Pleasant | 81.5 | $59,216 | $186,049 |
| 84 | Muscatine | 82.0 | $59,332 | $183,359 |
| 85 | New Hampton | 82.5 | $61,491 | $177,209 |
| 86 | Spencer | 84.0 | $57,068 | $196,401 |
| 87 | Mason City | 84.5 | $62,369 | $153,972 |
| 88 | Newton | 85.0 | $56,321 | $198,024 |
| 89 | Maquoketa | 87.0 | $56,039 | $197,198 |
| 90 | Washington | 87.0 | $56,536 | $191,094 |
| 91 | Storm Lake | 87.5 | $58,341 | $175,613 |
| 92 | Harlan | 88.5 | $54,923 | $196,466 |
| 93 | Tama | 90.5 | $61,944 | $137,928 |
| 94 | Emmetsburg | 91.0 | $57,353 | $169,710 |
| 95 | Atlantic | 93.0 | $57,486 | $158,770 |
| 96 | Evansdale | 93.0 | $57,415 | $160,047 |
| 97 | Fort Dodge | 93.5 | $61,769 | $127,253 |
| 98 | Algona | 94.0 | $52,542 | $184,516 |
| 99 | Jefferson | 98.0 | $54,286 | $169,097 |
| 100 | Waterloo | 99.5 | $56,344 | $147,023 |