Iowa City and Columbia receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Iowa City
Columbia
Opportunity
81 · Top 6%
vs70 · Top 22%
Growth
53 · Top 45%
vs36 · Bottom 26%
Climate
59 · Bottom 12%
vs64 · Bottom 32%
Physical resilience
56 · Bottom 48%
vs62 · Top 47%
Housing affordability
69 · Bottom 32%
vs80 · Bottom 49%
Access
92 · Bottom 49%
vs93 · Top 45%
Economic stability
46 · Bottom 26%
vs41 · Bottom 18%
Measured values
| Metric | Iowa City | Columbia | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 75,752 | 10,278 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $58,546 | $54,437 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $37,842 | $33,896 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 2,940/sq mi | 4,258/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $285,900 | $196,500 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,094 | $1,075 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 47.2% | 52.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 2.9% | 3.2% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.9% | 3.3% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 60.5% | 17.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 26.3% | 21.4% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 155 | 5 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 2.0 | 0.5 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 86°F | 86°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 15°F | 22°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 35.7" | 42.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 18 mi | 18 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 18.7 min | 25.6 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 26.2 | 41.8 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 16 | 4 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 13.80 | 13.53 | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Iowa City
Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, tornado, hail.
Columbia
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane.
Full profiles: Iowa City, IA · Columbia, PA · How this is calculated: methodology