What is the median rent in Iowa City, IA?

Name: Median rent in Iowa City, IA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Iowa City, IA is $1,094 (±$41) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 16,058 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Iowa City, the median gross rent went from $967 in 2015–2019 to $1,094 in 2020–2024 (+13.1%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose more slowly than prices: a measurable decrease after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,094 (±$41)
Rented homes: 16,058 (±799)
$2,000 or more: 12.3%
Since 2015–2019: +13.1%

How much rent costs in Iowa City

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Iowa City	Johnson County	Iowa	United States
Less than $500	3.9% (±1.4 points)	3.2%	8.4%	6.3%
$500 to $999	39.0% (±3.3 points)	35.6%	44.8%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	30.8% (±2.9 points)	36.6%	32.3%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	14.0% (±2.0 points)	14.4%	9.8%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	8.0% (±1.8 points)	6.8%	2.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	2.4% (±1.6 points)	1.7%	0.6%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	1.9% (±0.8 points)	1.7%	1.4%	6.8%

The most common range is $500 to $999, paid by 39.0% of renting households.

12.3% of rented homes in Iowa City cost $2,000 or more a month.

Iowa City against Johnson County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Iowa City	Johnson County	Iowa	United States
Median gross rent	$1,094 (±$41)	$1,122 (±$24)	$972 (±$6)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	16,058 (±799)	25,163 (±880)	350,667 (±3,497)	42,849,984

In Iowa City, median gross rent is not measurably different from Johnson County ($1,122).

It is also higher than in Iowa ($972).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In Johnson County, Iowa City ranks 7 of 10 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 65 of 727.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Iowa City has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$967 (±$28)	$1,094 (±$41)	+13.1%	Down after inflation
Households that rent	52.3% (±1.6 points)	52.8% (±2.2 points)	+0.5 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	4.1% (±1.5 points)	7.8% (±2.1 points)	+3.7 percentage points	Measurable increase

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Iowa City

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Iowa City
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Iowa City	—	$1,094 (±$41)	—
University Heights	1.4 mi	$1,588 (±$171)	Higher
Coralville	4.5 mi	$1,057 (±$58)	Not measurably different
Hills	6.8 mi	$1,132 (±$127)	Not measurably different
Tiffin	7.2 mi	$1,224 (±$187)	Not measurably different
North Liberty	7.4 mi	$1,246 (±$104)	Higher
West Branch	9.7 mi	$1,053 (±$305)	Not measurably different
Solon	11 mi	$1,127 (±$159)	Not measurably different
Riverside	12 mi	$918 (±$245)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: University Heights, IA ($1,588), North Liberty, IA ($1,246).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Johnson County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
1	University Heights	$1,588 (±$171)
2	North Liberty	$1,246 (±$104)
3	Tiffin	$1,224 (±$187)
4	Hills	$1,132 (±$127)
5	Solon	$1,127 (±$159)
6	Swisher	$1,114 (±$145)
7	Iowa City	$1,094 (±$41)
8	Oxford	$1,068 (±$364)
9	Coralville	$1,057 (±$58)
10	Lone Tree	$963 (±$68)

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Iowa City

What is the average rent in Iowa City, IA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Iowa City is $1,094 (±$41) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Iowa City?

In Iowa City, the median gross rent went from $967 in 2015–2019 to $1,094 in 2020–2024 (+13.1%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose more slowly than prices: a measurable decrease after inflation.

How many rentals in Iowa City cost more than $2,000 a month?

12.3% of rented homes in Iowa City have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 3.9% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Iowa City higher than in Johnson County?

In Iowa City, median gross rent is not measurably different from Johnson County ($1,122).

It is also higher than in Iowa ($972).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Iowa City city, Iowa (place:38595, in state:19).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.