Best Cities for Young Professionals in Iowa

High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  Iowa

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Income · 20% Educated Peers · 15% Young Demographic · 15% Jobs · 15% Transit · 10% Safety · 10% Broadband · 15%

Top 12 Young Professionals Cities in Iowa

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 79.8
University Heights, IA
1,232 residents
Income $105,172
Educated Peers 89.2%
Young Demographic 28 yrs
#2
Score 69.9
Huxley, IA
4,440 residents
Income $122,716
Educated Peers 58.0%
Young Demographic 35 yrs
#3
Score 69.1
Van Meter, IA
1,469 residents
Income $133,750
Educated Peers 42.4%
Young Demographic 36 yrs
#4
Score 68.2
Asbury, IA
5,949 residents
Income $130,071
Educated Peers 51.3%
Young Demographic 37 yrs
#5
Score 67.7
Mount Vernon, IA
4,551 residents
Income $106,356
Educated Peers 49.5%
Young Demographic 24 yrs
#6
Score 67.5
Peosta, IA
1,922 residents
Income $120,375
Educated Peers 40.3%
Young Demographic 35 yrs
#7
Score 67.1
North Liberty, IA
20,782 residents
Income $103,933
Educated Peers 53.3%
Young Demographic 32 yrs
#8
Score 67
Clive, IA
18,776 residents
Income $131,082
Educated Peers 59.5%
Young Demographic 38 yrs
#9
Score 65.8
Ankeny, IA
70,542 residents
Income $106,603
Educated Peers 53.2%
Young Demographic 33 yrs
#10
Score 65.2
Johnston, IA
24,196 residents
Income $103,430
Educated Peers 57.9%
Young Demographic 38 yrs
#11
Score 64.8
Urbandale, IA
46,026 residents
Income $113,086
Educated Peers 51.4%
Young Demographic 39 yrs
#12
Score 64.4
Waukee, IA
26,974 residents
Income $106,728
Educated Peers 56.7%
Young Demographic 34 yrs

Full Ranking, Iowa

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 University Heights IA 79.8
2 Huxley IA 69.9
3 Van Meter IA 69.1
4 Asbury IA 68.2
5 Mount Vernon IA 67.7
6 Peosta IA 67.5
7 North Liberty IA 67.1
8 Clive IA 67
9 Ankeny IA 65.8
10 Johnston IA 65.2
11 Urbandale IA 64.8
12 Waukee IA 64.4
13 Robins IA 63.4
14 Bettendorf IA 63.2
15 Eldridge IA 63
16 Coralville IA 62.6
17 Sioux Center IA 62.4
18 Denver IA 61.8
19 Le Claire IA 61.4
20 Woodward IA 61.4
21 West Des Moines IA 61.1
22 Adel IA 60.2
23 Norwalk IA 59.5
24 West Branch IA 59
25 Waverly IA 58.6
26 Pella IA 58.1
27 Windsor Heights IA 57.8
28 Marion IA 57.2
29 Ames IA 57.1
30 Denison IA 57
31 Earlham IA 56.5
32 Altoona IA 55.1
33 Williamsburg IA 54.6
34 Preston IA 54.2
35 Wilton IA 53.9
36 Monroe IA 53.7
37 Fairbank IA 53.5
38 Indianola IA 53.5
39 Durant IA 53.3
40 Mitchellville IA 53
41 Decorah IA 52.9
42 Carlisle IA 52.7
43 Le Mars IA 52.5
44 Sheldon IA 52.3
45 Cedar Rapids IA 52
46 Grundy Center IA 51.6
47 Hiawatha IA 51.6
48 Walcott IA 51.5
49 Rock Valley IA 51.5
50 DeWitt IA 51.4

University Heights, IA tops the list with a composite score of 79.8 out of 100, followed by Huxley and Van Meter. IA dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for young professionals.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Income, Educated Peers, Young Demographic, Jobs, Transit, Safety, Broadband. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to young professionals, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

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Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Highest Income → Most Educated → Youngest Cities →