With 179,200 people, Iowa City is a metro area. This skews young, with a median age of 32.2. Few US metro areas rank higher on income. This is an unusually credentialed place: 52% of adults have a four-year degree. Growth has run 36% since 2000, or 47,524 more people. People stay put here: 79% were in the same home a year ago.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $75,025, below the US median
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)29%(1,678)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)21.8%(1,261)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32%(1,854)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.6%(325)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II2.5%(147)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 5,795 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Iowa City, decade by decade
Iowa City population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
115,731
$66,041
$170,098
38.5%
15.0
2000
131,676
$72,702
$214,043
42.7%
23.5
2010
152,586
$73,777
$242,677
46.3%
35.0
2020
175,419
$76,507
$276,720
50.1%
49.9
2024
179,200
$75,025
$295,418
51.5%
49.6
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
