Iowa ranks #49 of 51 for median rent in 2026.
Median Rent by State
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Source: Census ACS B25064 (ACS 2024 1-year)
Updated 2026-04-25. Click any state for the full breakdown.
Iowa rent is $981 as of ACS 2024 1-year, according to Census ACS B25064. That puts Iowa at rank #49 of 50 US states, below the national average of $1,370.112.
Among Iowa's neighbors, Minnesota shows $1,291, Wisconsin shows $1,142, Illinois shows $1,322. Use the CalcFi compare view to line all of them up: /maps/compare?cat=rent&states=ia,mn,wi,il. Nearby states share labor markets and housing corridors, so the comparison is usually the most relevant one.
Top Iowa metros include Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Davenport. City-level rent data drops in Q3 2026 once BLS releases its metro-area tables for the year. Des Moines is the state capital. Until then, the state-level number is the best available read.
Median gross rent in Iowa is $981 per Census ACS B25064 (2024 1-year). Metro-area rent can diverge sharply from the state median, especially in states with one dominant city. Use the rent affordability calculator to size rent against your take-home pay.
3 cities ranked by median rent by state. Lower is better.
Median gross rent (contract rent + estimated utilities) across all renter-occupied units in each state, from Census ACS 1-year B25064 (2024 vintage, released Sep 2025). State-direct estimate, no aggregation.