Ankeny vs Iowa City
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $285,900 in Iowa City and $331,000 in Ankeny.
- Households earn more in Ankeny ($108,198 vs $58,546 median).
- Ankeny gets far more snow: 37 inches a year vs 28.
- Ankeny is growing faster: +14.3% since 2020 vs +1.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Iowa City (17 vs 21 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Ankeny, IA | Iowa City, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 77,833 | 76,229 |
| Growth since 2020 | +14.3% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 2,440 | 2,959 |
| Median age | 33.6 | 26.2 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 52% | 61% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $108,198 | $58,546 |
| Median home value | $331,000 | $285,900 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 4.9× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,319 | $1,094 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.7 | 91.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 84.7 | 84.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,800 | $68,600 |
| Homeowners | 71% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 6.94% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.1 | 17.3 |
| Work from home | 20% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 6% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 1.9% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 4.2% | 26.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 31° / 14° | 31° / 15° |
| July high / low | 86° / 66° | 86° / 66° |
| Precipitation per year | 37 in | 36 in |
| Snowfall per year | 37 in | 28 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 22 | 19 |
| Nights below freezing | 128 | 135 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.0 | 87.4 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 61% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.3% | +3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.2% | +33.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Ankeny: July to October. Iowa City: May and July to October.
Full monthly tables: Ankeny weather by month and Iowa City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,800 in Ankeny and $68,600 in Iowa City. Moving from Ankeny to Iowa City, you would need about $74,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Ankeny and Iowa City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Ankeny and Iowa City.
Which would you pick?
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