Davenport vs Sioux City
The short version
- Sioux City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Davenport area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $166,400 in Davenport and $173,600 in Sioux City.
Side by side
| Davenport, IA | Sioux City, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 100,358 | 86,356 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.3% | +0.5% |
| People per square mile | 1,563 | 1,460 |
| Median age | 37.5 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30% | 23% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,200 | $68,906 |
| Median home value | $166,400 | $173,600 |
| Home value to income | 2.5× | 2.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $978 | $976 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.1 | 86.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 68.3 | 57.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $66,800 | $64,800 |
| Homeowners | 63% | 65% |
| Top state income tax | 3.8% | 3.8% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 6.94% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.4 | 17.5 |
| Work from home | 10% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.6% | 4.5% |
| Poverty rate | 15.2% | 15.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 32° / 15° | 30° / 10° |
| July high / low | 86° / 65° | 85° / 63° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 29 in |
| Snowfall per year | 36 in | 36 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 22 | 25 |
| Nights below freezing | 129 | 154 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 84.9 | 83.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 57% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +4.1% | -1.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +36% | +39.6% |
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: Davenport: August to October. Sioux City: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Davenport weather by month and Sioux City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $66,800 in Davenport and $64,800 in Sioux City. Moving from Davenport to Sioux City, you would need about $72,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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