52240Iowa City, Iowa

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 52240.

62out of 100
Area Score
Top 43% of 5,298 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 11% of 6,210 ZIP areas measured77
Schools2577th of 4,422 ZIP areas measured45
Growth2741st of 5,428 ZIP areas measured50
Housing affordability4394th of 6,685 ZIP areas measured69
Climate5921st of 6,789 ZIP areas measured59
Physical resilience3544th of 6,709 ZIP areas measured56
Access4081st of 6,791 ZIP areas measured90
Economic stability4945th of 6,742 ZIP areas measured46
The quick read

52240 ranks in the top 11% of published ZIP profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 2.9% and median household income of $52,960.

In the public schools here, 55% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 12.6 students for every teacher.

155 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, essentially level with the prior year — steady rather than turning.

At a glance

Population
35,074
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$52,960
Bottom 19% nationally
Density
247/sq mi
142.1 sq mi of land
Median age
28.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Iowa City
Iowa
Metro area
Iowa City, IA
Nearest major airport
CID
21 mi · The Eastern Iowa
Median home value
$242,300
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 2.9% is lower than 97% of the 6,544 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment grew 0.9% over the past year, to 43,391 employed residents.

48% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US ZIP areas.

Median household income of $52,960 is below 81% of measured US ZIP areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$5,102$52,960Bottom 19%of 31,2952024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,593$36,340Bottom 49%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate27.3%Top 9%of 32,9702024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute18.8 minBottom 10%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher47.6%Top 14%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Employment43,391Bottom 43%of 6,544June 2026
Employment change (3 years)4.0%Top 9%of 6,542June 2026
Employment change (year over year)0.9%Top 13%of 6,544June 2026
Labor force44,680Bottom 42%of 6,544June 2026
Labor force participation68.8%Top 18%of 33,2522024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$65,420Bottom 39%of 6,0722025 OEWS
Median annual wage$50,060Bottom 48%of 6,0722025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)0.2%Top 44%of 6,544June 2026
Unemployment rate2.9%Bottom 3%of 6,544June 2026
Median household income, successive ACS releases
202120222023202455k52k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $52,960 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Iowa City, IA
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Registered Nurses4,090$85,940
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,890$28,760
Retail Salespersons2,710$29,940
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers2,360$61,960
Cashiers2,090$29,080
Waiters and Waitresses1,890$22,030

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Iowa City, IA, the city containing this ZIP code.

55% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 61% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.6 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
7
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.6
across all schools here
Math proficiency
55.4%
Bottom 29% in Iowa
Reading proficiency
61.2%
Bottom 43% in Iowa
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Southeast Middle SchoolIowa City Comm School District1,26915.563%72%
Herbert Hoover Elementary SchoolIowa City Comm School District46412.956%59%
Alexander ElementaryIowa City Comm School District43611.547%51%
Longfellow Elementary SchoolIowa City Comm School District32511.262%63%
Grant Wood Elementary SchoolIowa City Comm School District30610.931%43%
Mark Twain ElementaryIowa City Comm School District2139.750%45%
Elizabeth Tate Alt. High SchoolIowa City Comm School District1809.5

56.3% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against Iowa’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,047 takes 24% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.6 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
23.7%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.6×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,047
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$242,300
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income4.58Top 21%of 30,4042024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate50.1%Bottom 9%of 32,9102024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±65917,148Top 6%of 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$61$1,047Top 47%of 26,6182024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$10,836$242,300Top 44%of 30,9412024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income23.7%Top 19%of 26,4702024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate10.1%Bottom 46%of 33,0282024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
50/ 100
Ranks 2741 of 5,428 published city profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

At 2.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas.

Units permitted
155
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
2.0
Bottom 41% nationally
Year over year
+1%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
54.2%
units in 5+ unit buildings

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Iowa City, IA, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 86°F and January a low of 15°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 35.7 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 39, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.

0°20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station IOWA CITY MUNI AP, 2.3 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND5.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index57.02024 calendar year
Annual precipitation35.7"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low15°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high86°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 10002024 calendar year
Median air quality index39.02024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing53°F1991-2020 Normals
Air quality
Median air quality index
39
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
57
90th percentile index
Days above 100
0
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today. Air quality is measured rather than modelled, by EPA monitors, and published by county only where a monitor sits — roughly half the counties AreaProfile publishes have one, and the rest show nothing rather than an estimate. Air masses are regional, so a county reading describes the air over a place reasonably well, but it is still the county reading.

Physical risk

56 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are tornado, strong wind and hail.

Strong windElevated
TornadoHigh
HailElevated
Heat waveModerate
DroughtModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, winter weather, inland flooding, landslide, ice storm, lightning, wildfire, earthquake, hurricane.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offences. AreaProfile does not publish reported crime, and this is not a substitute for it — it says nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Johnson County records 3.0 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 8.3 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 6.3 per 100,000 residents in Johnson County.

Homicide
3.0
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
8.3
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Drug overdose
6.3
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Suicide
15.2
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Johnson County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city centre and a suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around 52240 rather than 52240 itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 21 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
The Eastern IowaCID21 mi8,600 ft
Quad Cities IntlMLI53 mi10,002 ft
Waterloo RgnlALO79 mi8,399 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
62
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)
safetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April, 2025 to March, 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
schoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar yearAnnually, once a calendar year is complete

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

52240 vs Iowa City

How this ZIP area compares with Iowa City as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like.

52240
Iowa City
Median household income
$52,960
vs
$58,546
Per capita income
$36,340
vs
$37,842
Population density
247/sq mi
vs
2,940/sq mi
Median home value
$242,300
vs
$285,900
Median gross rent
$1,047
vs
$1,094
Homeownership rate
50.1%
vs
47.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher
47.6%
vs
60.5%
Poverty rate
27.3%
vs
26.3%
Median age
28.6
vs
26.2

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.