WYLT Neighborhood Rankings · 2026
Best Neighborhoods
in Iowa
Ranked by safety, schools, walkability, and value. Every verdict is based on real data — no sponsored rankings, no fluff.
#1 Pick in Iowa
Waukee, Waukee is the top-rated neighborhood in Iowa — our highest verdict.
Top 20 Neighborhoods in Iowa
Waukee
Settle hereWaukee, IA
Price
$310K
Schools
5.9/10
Cedar Falls
Good for nowCedar Falls, IA
Price
$250K
Walk
18/100
Schools
6.2/10
Des Moines
Good for nowDes Moines, IA
Price
$309K
Walk
65/100
Schools
6.1/10
Ankeny
Good for nowAnkeny, IA
Price
$293K
Walk
3/100
Schools
5.9/10
Dubuque
Good for nowDubuque, IA
Price
$159K
Schools
7.9/10
Mason City
Good for nowMason City, IA
Price
$130K
Walk
25/100
Schools
5.5/10
Burlington
Good for nowBurlington, IA
Price
$122K
Walk
8/100
Schools
6.1/10
Waterloo
Good for nowWaterloo, IA
Price
$174K
Walk
2/100
Schools
6.1/10
Urbandale
Good for nowUrbandale, IA
Price
$248K
Walk
29/100
Schools
6/10
West Des Moines
Good for nowWest Des Moines, IA
Price
$242K
Schools
6.1/10
Marion
Good for nowMarion, IA
Price
$211K
Schools
6.1/10
Clinton
Good for nowClinton, IA
Price
$116K
Schools
5.6/10
Sioux City
Think twiceSioux City, IA
Price
$220K
Walk
60/100
Schools
5.8/10
Bettendorf
Think twiceBettendorf, IA
Price
$279K
Walk
18/100
Schools
5.6/10
Cedar Rapids
Think twiceCedar Rapids, IA
Price
$135K
Walk
40/100
Schools
5.7/10
Marshalltown
Think twiceMarshalltown, IA
Price
$125K
Walk
32/100
Schools
5.7/10
Davenport
Think twiceDavenport, IA
Walk
24/100
Schools
5.6/10
Ames
Think twiceAmes, IA
Price
$236K
Schools
4.7/10
Iowa City
Think twiceIowa City, IA
Price
$226K
Schools
6.4/10
Council Bluffs
Think twiceCouncil Bluffs, IA
Price
$130K
Schools
5.6/10
How we rank neighborhoods in Iowa
Every neighborhood on this list was evaluated using real data across four dimensions: safety (violent and property crime risk), schools (rating out of 10), walkability (Walk Score out of 100), and home prices relative to the Iowa average. Our scoring model weighs each factor equally and assigns one of four plain-English verdicts — from "Settle here" (our highest rating) to "Hard pass" — so you know exactly where each place stands without having to decode letter grades.
Rankings are updated as new reports are generated. All data is sourced from public records, national databases, and our AI-assisted analysis. Click any neighborhood to read its full report.