Iowa · 85 places of 5,000+
Fastest-growing cities in Iowa, 2020 to 2024
Short answer
- Fastest
- +44.8%
- Growing
- 53
- Shrinking
- 32
The 20 fastest-growing
Tiffin grew fastest, from 4,624 in July 2020 to 6,695 in July 2024, +44.8%. It is the 63rd largest of the 85 places ranked. 53 places grew and 32 shrank or held flat; the median change was +1.1%.
By raw numbers the biggest gain was in Waukee, +10,052 people. At the other end, Mount Pleasant changed by -8.2%. Growth is measured between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates for places with 5,000 or more residents in 2024, so fast growth from a small base can outrank larger absolute gains.
- 01Tiffin+44.8%
- 02Waukee+41.3%
- 03Bondurant+27.4%
- 04Norwalk+19.2%
- 05Pleasant Hill+17.5%
- 06Polk City+14.8%
- 07Altoona+14.4%
- 08Ankeny+11.9%
- 09Grimes+9.8%
- 10Adel+9.5%
- 11Anamosa+7.3%
- 12Coralville+7.3%
- 13West Des Moines+6.9%
- 14North Liberty+6.8%
- 15Sergeant Bluff+6.5%
- 16Sioux Center+5.2%
- 17Urbandale+4.8%
- 18Pella+4.7%
- 19Clive+4.5%
- 20Johnston+4.3%
Dots: the 20 places in the chart. Orange pin: Tiffin, ranked first.
All 85 places of 5,000+ ranked
| # | Place | 2024 | Since 2020 | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiffin | 6,695 | +44.8% | Johnson County |
| 2 | Waukee | 34,420 | +41.3% | Dallas County |
| 3 | Bondurant | 9,511 | +27.4% | Polk County |
| 4 | Norwalk | 15,396 | +19.2% | Warren County |
| 5 | Pleasant Hill | 11,942 | +17.5% | Polk County |
| 6 | Polk City | 6,430 | +14.8% | Polk County |
| 7 | Altoona | 22,598 | +14.4% | Polk County |
| 8 | Ankeny | 76,727 | +11.9% | Polk County |
| 9 | Grimes | 17,266 | +9.8% | Polk County +1 |
| 10 | Adel | 6,763 | +9.5% | Dallas County |
| 11 | Anamosa | 5,845 | +7.3% | Jones County |
| 12 | Coralville | 23,959 | +7.3% | Johnson County |
| 13 | West Des Moines | 73,664 | +6.9% | Polk County +3 |
| 14 | North Liberty | 21,904 | +6.8% | Johnson County |
| 15 | Sergeant Bluff | 5,335 | +6.5% | Woodbury County |
| 16 | Sioux Center | 8,675 | +5.2% | Sioux County |
| 17 | Urbandale | 47,759 | +4.8% | Polk County +1 |
| 18 | Pella | 10,965 | +4.7% | Marion County +1 |
| 19 | Clive | 19,508 | +4.5% | Polk County +1 |
| 20 | Johnston | 25,022 | +4.3% | Polk County |
| 21 | Orange City | 6,547 | +4.3% | Sioux County |
| 22 | Manchester | 5,283 | +4.1% | Delaware County |
| 23 | Ames | 69,026 | +3.8% | Story County |
| 24 | Glenwood | 5,250 | +3.6% | Mills County |
| 25 | Eldridge | 6,967 | +3.5% | Scott County |
| 26 | Storm Lake | 11,627 | +3.3% | Buena Vista County |
| 27 | Osceola | 5,585 | +3.1% | Clarke County |
| 28 | Independence | 6,266 | +3.0% | Buchanan County |
| 29 | Bettendorf | 40,281 | +2.9% | Scott County |
| 30 | Indianola | 16,297 | +2.7% | Warren County |
| 31 | Nevada | 7,082 | +2.4% | Story County |
| 32 | Iowa City | 76,710 | +2.4% | Johnson County |
| 33 | Marion | 42,542 | +2.3% | Linn County |
| 34 | Hiawatha | 7,347 | +2.3% | Linn County |
| 35 | Perry | 8,046 | +2.2% | Dallas County |
| 36 | DeWitt | 5,620 | +1.9% | Clinton County |
| 37 | Cedar Falls | 41,417 | +1.7% | Black Hawk County |
| 38 | Asbury | 6,051 | +1.6% | Dubuque County |
| 39 | Spirit Lake | 5,548 | +1.5% | Dickinson County |
| 40 | Waverly | 10,576 | +1.5% | Bremer County |
| 41 | Sheldon | 5,584 | +1.5% | O'Brien County +1 |
| 42 | Sioux City | 86,875 | +1.1% | Woodbury County +1 |
| 43 | Marshalltown | 27,886 | +1.1% | Marshall County |
| 44 | Spencer | 11,418 | +1.0% | Clay County |
| 45 | Ottumwa | 25,648 | +0.7% | Wapello County |
| 46 | Le Mars | 10,674 | +0.7% | Plymouth County |
| 47 | Fairfield | 9,511 | +0.6% | Jefferson County |
| 48 | Winterset | 5,421 | +0.6% | Madison County |
| 49 | Waterloo | 67,477 | +0.3% | Black Hawk County |
| 50 | Oskaloosa | 11,575 | +0.3% | Mahaska County |
| 51 | Boone | 12,461 | +0.1% | Boone County |
| 52 | Fort Dodge | 24,886 | +0.1% | Webster County |
| 53 | Cedar Rapids | 137,904 | +0.0% | Linn County |
| 54 | Cherokee | 5,186 | -0.2% | Cherokee County |
| 55 | Council Bluffs | 62,665 | -0.2% | Pottawattamie County |
| 56 | Newton | 15,709 | -0.3% | Jasper County |
| 57 | Des Moines | 213,096 | -0.3% | Polk County +1 |
| 58 | Grinnell | 9,495 | -0.4% | Poweshiek County |
| 59 | Clarinda | 5,334 | -0.6% | Page County |
| 60 | Webster City | 7,763 | -0.7% | Hamilton County |
| 61 | Davenport | 100,938 | -0.7% | Scott County |
| 62 | Denison | 8,302 | -0.7% | Crawford County |
| 63 | Clear Lake | 7,602 | -0.8% | Cerro Gordo County |
| 64 | Washington | 7,281 | -0.9% | Washington County |
| 65 | Maquoketa | 6,064 | -0.9% | Jackson County |
| 66 | Atlantic | 6,717 | -1.0% | Cass County |
| 67 | Dubuque | 58,987 | -1.1% | Dubuque County |
| 68 | Centerville | 5,345 | -1.2% | Appanoose County |
| 69 | Mason City | 26,948 | -1.2% | Cerro Gordo County |
| 70 | Estherville | 5,796 | -1.3% | Emmet County |
| 71 | Clinton | 24,118 | -1.3% | Clinton County |
| 72 | Burlington | 23,637 | -1.4% | Des Moines County |
| 73 | Creston | 7,421 | -1.5% | Union County |
| 74 | Decorah | 7,454 | -1.7% | Winneshiek County |
| 75 | Knoxville | 7,440 | -1.8% | Marion County |
| 76 | Carroll | 10,125 | -1.8% | Carroll County |
| 77 | Muscatine | 23,298 | -1.9% | Muscatine County |
| 78 | Oelwein | 5,788 | -2.0% | Fayette County |
| 79 | Algona | 5,341 | -2.4% | Kossuth County |
| 80 | Windsor Heights | 5,106 | -2.5% | Polk County |
| 81 | Red Oak | 5,420 | -3.1% | Montgomery County |
| 82 | Fort Madison | 9,983 | -3.2% | Lee County |
| 83 | Charles City | 7,081 | -4.1% | Floyd County |
| 84 | Keokuk | 9,462 | -4.4% | Lee County |
| 85 | Mount Pleasant | 8,509 | -8.2% | Henry County |
Questions people ask
What is the fastest-growing city in Iowa?
Tiffin, up 44.8% from July 2020 to July 2024 among places of 5,000+, to 6,695 residents.
Which Iowa city added the most people?
Waukee, which gained 10,052 residents from July 2020 to July 2024.
How many Iowa cities are shrinking?
32 of 85 places of 5,000+ had the same or fewer residents in July 2024 than in July 2020.
Why use places of 5,000 or more?
Small towns can swing by double-digit percentages from a few new homes, and Census estimates for them carry more uncertainty. The 5,000 floor keeps the ranking to places where a percentage means something.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.