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Rent Affordability for A Firefighter in Iowa

A typical firefighter in Iowa earns about $57,785 a year, which supports approximately $1,445 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked Iowa city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 27 of 35 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 8 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Clinton, IA$775/mo16.1%very comfortable
Fort Dodge, IA$804/mo16.7%very comfortable
Boone, IA$814/mo16.9%very comfortable
Knoxville, IA$906/mo18.8%very comfortable
Waterloo, IA$909/mo18.9%very comfortable
Newton, IA$947/mo19.7%very comfortable
Davenport, IA$965/mo20%affordable
Burlington, IA$983/mo20.4%affordable
Marshalltown, IA$1,024/mo21.3%affordable
Indianola, IA$1,034/mo21.5%affordable
Urbandale, IA$1,038/mo21.6%affordable
Pella, IA$1,052/mo21.8%affordable
Dubuque, IA$1,073/mo22.3%affordable
Adel, IA$1,094/mo22.7%affordable
Des Moines, IA$1,129/mo23.4%affordable
Norwalk, IA$1,208/mo25.1%affordable
Ames, IA$1,240/mo25.8%affordable
Sioux City, IA$1,267/mo26.3%affordable
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,274/mo26.5%affordable
Coralville, IA$1,282/mo26.6%affordable
Marion, IA$1,287/mo26.7%affordable
Council Bluffs, IA$1,335/mo27.7%affordable
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,339/mo27.8%affordable
West Des Moines, IA$1,353/mo28.1%affordable
Johnston, IA$1,356/mo28.2%affordable
Grimes, IA$1,396/mo29%affordable
Cedar Falls, IA$1,405/mo29.2%affordable
Ankeny, IA$1,464/mo30.4%stretched
Bettendorf, IA$1,466/mo30.4%stretched
Altoona, IA$1,583/mo32.9%stretched
Waukee, IA$1,640/mo34.1%stretched
Iowa City, IA$1,713/mo35.6%stretched
Tiffin, IA$1,771/mo36.8%stretched
North Liberty, IA$1,808/mo37.5%stretched
Le Claire, IA$2,967/mo61.6%severely rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for Iowa. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).