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Ever wondered where in the country people are happiest? Better yet, what cities in your state have the secret sauce for happiness?
Just like where you work and what you do, where you live can have major implications for your quality of life. We set out to find the cities in Iowa where life is sweetest, the wages are high, and people aren’t wasting their lives away in cars,
The results? Happiness comes in small packages.
The result is this list of the best cities for :
- Asbury, IA
- Sioux Center, IA
- Clive, IA
- Eldridge, IA
- Bondurant, IA
- Waukee, IA
- Johnston, IA
- Grimes, IA
- Urbandale, IA
- Norwalk, IA
These are the happiest places in Iowa. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.
How did we determined the happiest places to live in Iowa?
We turned happiness into a science and scoured the state to find the cities with all the ingredients for happiness:
- Being well educated (Population with at least a bachelor’s degree)
- Percent of households earning above $75,000
- Median home prices
- A short commute to work (Traffic = unhappiness)
- Having a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)
We examined over 80 cities, to find the cities that have all of the above in spades.
While some may be confused to see marriage rates included in our metrics, studies show that married people are typically happier than unmarried people. However, it is worth noting that marriage doesn’t cause happiness. In fact, people leaving a bad marriage experience spikes of happiness. However, a happy marriage and positive social interactions are important for mood and mental health.
Similarly, if you’re scratching your head to see $75,000 as the cut-off for happiness, blame Purdue University. Their study found that amount meets basic needs and frees people from the pitfalls of deep financial insecurity that cause unhappiness.
All of our data comes from the most recent American Community Survey.
Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places is brimming with happiness—or hop to the bottom to see where your city landed on the list.
1. Asbury
Population: 5,469
Earners Over $75k: 62.5%
Average Commute: 15
Marriage Rate: 51.0%
Asbury is the happiest city in all of Iowa. What makes Asbury residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average Asbury resident only drives 15.5 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most Asbury residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.
2. Sioux Center
Population: 7,499
Earners Over $75k: 48.9%
Average Commute: 9
Marriage Rate: 41.0%
In 2nd place we have Sioux Center. Residents of Sioux Center are highly educated, with an impressive 43.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Sioux Center have plenty of them.
3. Clive
Population: 17,195
Earners Over $75k: 65.2%
Average Commute: 17
Marriage Rate: 36.0%
Clive is the third happiest city in Iowa. Why so happy? 36.0% of Clive residents come home to a partner to share their life burdens. Bonus? Short commutes give them more time to spend with all their loved ones or on hobbies they enjoy.
4. Eldridge
Population: 6,399
Earners Over $75k: 47.5%
Average Commute: 17
Marriage Rate: 43.0%
Folks in Eldridge have a lot to smile about. An impressive 47.5% of Eldridge households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Eldridge can afford peace of mind.
5. Bondurant
Population: 5,826
Earners Over $75k: 63.3%
Average Commute: 21
Marriage Rate: 48.0%
Bondurant is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. Bondurant residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this Iowa city is only $201,100), happy marriages, and short commutes.
6. Waukee
Population: 19,344
Earners Over $75k: 58.5%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 38.0%
Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Waukee a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 58.5% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Waukee home have a lot to be happy about.
7. Johnston
Population: 20,767
Earners Over $75k: 64.4%
Average Commute: 20
Marriage Rate: 36.0%
Johnston is the 7th happiest city. Johnston residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 20.0 minutes of their home. They can use all that extra time saved from a long commute to indulge in hobbies they’re passionate about.
8. Grimes
Population: 11,930
Earners Over $75k: 59.3%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 44.0%
Grimes residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?
9. Urbandale
Population: 42,881
Earners Over $75k: 57.0%
Average Commute: 18
Marriage Rate: 35.0%
The 9th happiest city in all of Iowa is Urbandale. The average commute in Urbandale is only 18.4 minutes. That means they are only 18.4 minutes away from the loving spouse 35.0% of them have.
10. Norwalk
Population: 10,568
Earners Over $75k: 58.6%
Average Commute: 22
Marriage Rate: 45.0%
In 10th place is Norwalk, Iowa. What makes Norwalk so great? Affordable housing, reasonable commutes, and healthy incomes. If happiness is contagious, moving here might be worth a try.
And that’s our list of the happiest cities in Iowa
There you have it, happiness is a place.
While we can’t guarantee everyone living and working in the top 10 cities is happy, they have a better chance the most.
If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors: housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.
If your city didn’t make the top 10, check out the list below to see whether it missed the cut by a hair or if folks there are struggling to escape despair.
Detailed List Of The Happiest Cities In
| Rank | City | High Earners |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asbury | 62.5% |
| 2 | Sioux Center | 48.9% |
| 3 | Clive | 65.2% |
| 4 | Eldridge | 47.5% |
| 5 | Bondurant | 63.3% |
| 6 | Waukee | 58.5% |
| 7 | Johnston | 64.4% |
| 8 | Grimes | 59.3% |
| 9 | Urbandale | 57.0% |
| 10 | Norwalk | 58.6% |
| 11 | Pella | 40.5% |
| 12 | Ankeny | 53.2% |
| 13 | Altoona | 52.7% |
| 14 | Orange City | 45.4% |
| 15 | Pleasant Hill | 53.8% |
| 16 | Le Mars | 42.1% |
| 17 | Waverly | 42.6% |
| 18 | Carroll | 37.9% |
| 19 | West Des Moines | 49.9% |
| 20 | Bettendorf | 51.7% |
| 21 | Sheldon | 31.4% |
| 22 | Marion | 46.3% |
| 23 | North Liberty | 54.1% |
| 24 | Nevada | 34.3% |
| 25 | Spirit Lake | 35.4% |
| 26 | Coralville | 43.1% |
| 27 | Winterset | 35.3% |
| 28 | Cedar Falls | 39.9% |
| 29 | Indianola | 37.5% |
| 30 | Algona | 30.5% |
| 31 | Clear Lake | 37.3% |
| 32 | Decorah | 37.1% |
| 33 | Cedar Rapids | 37.9% |
| 34 | Dubuque | 31.7% |
| 35 | Spencer | 30.1% |
| 36 | Vinton | 35.5% |
| 37 | Hiawatha | 30.7% |
| 38 | Iowa City | 33.2% |
| 39 | Grinnell | 30.7% |
| 40 | Manchester | 33.7% |
| 41 | Ames | 31.6% |
| 42 | Sioux City | 32.1% |
| 43 | Storm Lake | 27.4% |
| 44 | Muscatine | 32.3% |
| 45 | Estherville | 28.8% |
| 46 | Mount Pleasant | 29.4% |
| 47 | Independence | 33.5% |
| 48 | Webster City | 27.5% |
| 49 | Denison | 39.1% |
| 50 | Oskaloosa | 24.3% |
| 51 | Glenwood | 34.8% |
| 52 | Washington | 29.1% |
| 53 | Waterloo | 27.1% |
| 54 | Des Moines | 31.7% |
| 55 | Boone | 30.3% |
| 56 | Marshalltown | 28.2% |
| 57 | Mason City | 29.7% |
| 58 | Keokuk | 22.4% |
| 59 | Davenport | 30.1% |
| 60 | Atlantic | 20.5% |
| 61 | Fairfield | 20.6% |
| 62 | Fort Dodge | 24.2% |
| 63 | Burlington | 28.0% |
| 64 | Osceola | 25.8% |
| 65 | Clinton | 28.1% |
| 66 | Newton | 25.6% |
| 67 | Creston | 26.6% |
| 68 | Knoxville | 23.6% |
| 69 | Clarinda | 26.1% |
| 70 | Council Bluffs | 31.3% |
| 71 | Ottumwa | 23.3% |
| 72 | Maquoketa | 24.4% |
| 73 | Iowa Falls | 27.8% |
| 74 | Red Oak | 19.9% |
| 75 | Oelwein | 21.8% |
| 76 | Charles City | 22.4% |
| 77 | Fort Madison | 24.9% |
| 78 | Perry | 19.8% |
| 79 | Centerville | 18.2% |
| 80 | Anamosa | 22.9% |
Author
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
