Markets › Iowa
Iowa housing market
In the Hawkeye State, part of the Census Bureau's West North Central division, Pecan Street tracks eight markets. Median sale prices run from $209K in Davenport to $320K in Iowa City over Jul–Sep 2026. Seven of eight are higher than a year earlier and one is lower; Sioux City leads at +8.6% and Iowa City trails at -2.0%.
Homes sit longest in Des Moines (67 median days on market) and sell fastest in Dubuque (42 days). The share of active listings with a price cut runs from 22% in Iowa City to 46% in Dubuque. Price-to-rent ratios run from about 12 in Davenport to 16 in Iowa City, measured as years of HUD Fair Market Rent per median sale price. Among the 385 U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, the Iowa City metro has the 16th-lowest share of listings with a price cut and the Sioux City metro the 24th-fastest year-over-year price growth. Iowa's unemployment rate was 3.2% in Sep 2026 (BLS via FRED), below the national rate of 4.2%.
Markets at a glance
| Market | Median sale price | YoY | Days on market | Price-cut share | Price-to-rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ames | $285K | +3.0% | 59 | 42% | ≈ 16 |
| Cedar Rapids | $248K | +7.4% | 44 | 40% | ≈ 14 |
| Davenport | $209K | +4.6% | 47 | 36% | ≈ 12 |
| Des Moines | $318K | +4.9% | 67 | 40% | ≈ 14 |
| Dubuque | $263K | +0.7% | 42 | 46% | ≈ 14 |
| Iowa City | $320K | -2.0% | 60 | 22% | ≈ 16 |
| Sioux City | $262K | +8.6% | 51 | 39% | ≈ 15 |
| Waterloo | $227K | +4.1% | 54 | 43% | ≈ 14 |
Median sale price and year-over-year change from Redfin (rolling three months); median days on market and the share of active listings with a price cut from Realtor.com; price-to-rent is each market page's figure (its median sale price over a year of HUD Fair Market Rent). Figures are per metro market, not statewide.
Recent signals
No market signals flagged across this state right now.