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Rent Affordability for A Paramedic in Iowa

A typical paramedic in Iowa earns about $48,926 a year, which supports approximately $1,223 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. 16 of 35 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 19 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Clinton, IA$775/mo19%very comfortable
Fort Dodge, IA$804/mo19.7%very comfortable
Boone, IA$814/mo20%very comfortable
Knoxville, IA$906/mo22.2%affordable
Waterloo, IA$909/mo22.3%affordable
Newton, IA$947/mo23.2%affordable
Davenport, IA$965/mo23.7%affordable
Burlington, IA$983/mo24.1%affordable
Marshalltown, IA$1,024/mo25.1%affordable
Indianola, IA$1,034/mo25.4%affordable
Urbandale, IA$1,038/mo25.5%affordable
Pella, IA$1,052/mo25.8%affordable
Dubuque, IA$1,073/mo26.3%affordable
Adel, IA$1,094/mo26.8%affordable
Des Moines, IA$1,129/mo27.7%affordable
Norwalk, IA$1,208/mo29.6%affordable
Ames, IA$1,240/mo30.4%stretched
Sioux City, IA$1,267/mo31.1%stretched
Cedar Rapids, IA$1,274/mo31.2%stretched
Coralville, IA$1,282/mo31.4%stretched
Marion, IA$1,287/mo31.6%stretched
Council Bluffs, IA$1,335/mo32.7%stretched
Pleasant Hill, IA$1,339/mo32.8%stretched
West Des Moines, IA$1,353/mo33.2%stretched
Johnston, IA$1,356/mo33.3%stretched
Grimes, IA$1,396/mo34.2%stretched
Cedar Falls, IA$1,405/mo34.5%stretched
Ankeny, IA$1,464/mo35.9%stretched
Bettendorf, IA$1,466/mo36%stretched
Altoona, IA$1,583/mo38.8%stretched
Waukee, IA$1,640/mo40.2%rent-burdened
Iowa City, IA$1,713/mo42%rent-burdened
Tiffin, IA$1,771/mo43.4%rent-burdened
North Liberty, IA$1,808/mo44.3%rent-burdened
Le Claire, IA$2,967/mo72.8%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).