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Who's moving to Iowa

Where households are arriving from and leaving for, county by county — built on official federal tax-filer data, not marketing estimates.

-2,381 net households from other states
Arrived from other states
32,117
households, 2022-2023
Left for other states
34,498
households, 2022-2023
Moved within Iowa
46,397
households changed county, stayed in state

-2,381 net households — Arrivals from other states and departures to them are close in volume — departures edge ahead by 2,381 households. That loss has narrowed by 42% over five years. Another 146 households arrived from abroad.

Moving in from another state? Your mover needs active interstate operating authority — most local companies don't hold one. See licensed movers in Des Moines →
Net household change, five years
Every move in or out of Iowa, including from abroad — so the latest bar can differ slightly from the state-to-state figure above.
-4,225
18–19
-2,565
19–20
-461
20–21
-4,742
21–22
-2,442
22–23
Iowa City · Johnson County: -608 net from other states, 10,362 moved in or out Cedar Rapids · Linn County: -317 net from other states, 9,959 moved in or out Waukee · Dallas County: +127 net from other states, 9,761 moved in or out Davenport · Scott County: +112 net from other states, 8,575 moved in or out Ames · Story County: -559 net from other states, 7,066 moved in or out Waterloo · Black Hawk County: -107 net from other states, 5,727 moved in or out Sioux City · Woodbury County: -136 net from other states, 4,642 moved in or out Council Bluffs · Pottawattamie County: +84 net from other states, 4,388 moved in or out Dubuque · Dubuque County: +54 net from other states, 3,885 moved in or out Indianola · Warren County: -39 net from other states, 3,342 moved in or out Mason City · Cerro Gordo County: -60 net from other states, 2,034 moved in or out Clinton · Clinton County: +4 net from other states, 1,921 moved in or out Newton · Jasper County: -7 net from other states, 1,931 moved in or out Muscatine · Muscatine County: -31 net from other states, 1,793 moved in or out Pella · Marion County: +5 net from other states, 1,710 moved in or out Marshalltown · Marshall County: +20 net from other states, 1,677 moved in or out Ottumwa · Wapello County: +42 net from other states, 1,655 moved in or out Burlington · Des Moines County: +34 net from other states, 1,604 moved in or out Fort Dodge · Webster County: -23 net from other states, 1,527 moved in or out Boone · Boone County: +1 net from other states, 1,429 moved in or out Waverly · Bremer County: +4 net from other states, 1,358 moved in or out Vinton · Benton County: -9 net from other states, 1,283 moved in or out Le Mars · Plymouth County: -67 net from other states, 1,252 moved in or out Sioux Center · Sioux County: -98 net from other states, 1,170 moved in or out Fort Madison · Lee County: -15 net from other states, 1,162 moved in or out Washington · Washington County: -23 net from other states, 1,131 moved in or out Tipton · Cedar County: +13 net from other states, 1,112 moved in or out Spirit Lake · Dickinson County: -31 net from other states, 1,119 moved in or out Storm Lake · Buena Vista County: -22 net from other states, 1,093 moved in or out Oskaloosa · Mahaska County: -31 net from other states, 1,058 moved in or out Grinnell · Poweshiek County: -73 net from other states, 998 moved in or out Mount Pleasant · Henry County: -33 net from other states, 926 moved in or out Independence · Buchanan County: +18 net from other states, 915 moved in or out Fairfield · Jefferson County: -48 net from other states, 903 moved in or out Anamosa · Jones County: -21 net from other states, 908 moved in or out Winterset · Madison County: -63 net from other states, 913 moved in or out Carroll · Carroll County: +20 net from other states, 871 moved in or out Maquoketa · Jackson County: +30 net from other states, 870 moved in or out Tama · Tama County: +8 net from other states, 877 moved in or out Spencer · Clay County: +18 net from other states, 851 moved in or out Oelwein · Fayette County: -6 net from other states, 828 moved in or out Charles City · Floyd County: +11 net from other states, 845 moved in or out Guttenberg · Clayton County: +0 net from other states, 824 moved in or out Iowa Falls · Hardin County: +41 net from other states, 823 moved in or out Williamsburg · Iowa County: -12 net from other states, 784 moved in or out Glenwood · Mills County: +39 net from other states, 783 moved in or out Decorah · Winneshiek County: -12 net from other states, 788 moved in or out Webster City · Hamilton County: +16 net from other states, 754 moved in or out Manchester · Delaware County: +17 net from other states, 737 moved in or out Denison · Crawford County: -24 net from other states, 684 moved in or out Sheldon · O'Brien County: -56 net from other states, 698 moved in or out Algona · Kossuth County: +8 net from other states, 628 moved in or out Parkersburg · Butler County: -3 net from other states, 619 moved in or out Atlantic · Cass County: +44 net from other states, 615 moved in or out Grundy Center · Grundy County: -11 net from other states, 609 moved in or out Guthrie Center · Guthrie County: -2 net from other states, 601 moved in or out Missouri Valley · Harrison County: +6 net from other states, 614 moved in or out Clarinda · Page County: +39 net from other states, 614 moved in or out Forest City · Winnebago County: -16 net from other states, 596 moved in or out Eagle Grove · Wright County: +8 net from other states, 578 moved in or out Wapello · Louisa County: -27 net from other states, 554 moved in or out Harlan · Shelby County: +18 net from other states, 562 moved in or out Osceola · Clarke County: +12 net from other states, 546 moved in or out Creston · Union County: -53 net from other states, 538 moved in or out Rockwell City · Calhoun County: +9 net from other states, 503 moved in or out Cherokee · Cherokee County: -20 net from other states, 516 moved in or out Garner · Hancock County: -26 net from other states, 502 moved in or out Red Oak · Montgomery County: +15 net from other states, 511 moved in or out New Hampton · Chickasaw County: +18 net from other states, 475 moved in or out Centerville · Appanoose County: -16 net from other states, 486 moved in or out Waukon · Allamakee County: -10 net from other states, 456 moved in or out Lamoni · Decatur County: -19 net from other states, 440 moved in or out Estherville · Emmet County: +21 net from other states, 442 moved in or out Jefferson · Greene County: +18 net from other states, 416 moved in or out Sigourney · Keokuk County: -25 net from other states, 410 moved in or out Rock Rapids · Lyon County: -15 net from other states, 416 moved in or out Sac City · Sac County: +0 net from other states, 426 moved in or out Osage · Mitchell County: +20 net from other states, 419 moved in or out Hampton · Franklin County: -9 net from other states, 397 moved in or out Greenfield · Adair County: +2 net from other states, 381 moved in or out Cresco · Howard County: -30 net from other states, 384 moved in or out Humboldt · Humboldt County: +5 net from other states, 372 moved in or out Emmetsburg · Palo Alto County: -18 net from other states, 383 moved in or out Northwood · Worth County: +4 net from other states, 366 moved in or out Chariton · Lucas County: -18 net from other states, 361 moved in or out Onawa · Monona County: -1 net from other states, 343 moved in or out Ida Grove · Ida County: -10 net from other states, 324 moved in or out Bloomfield · Davis County: -13 net from other states, 298 moved in or out Pocahontas · Pocahontas County: -27 net from other states, 291 moved in or out Hamburg · Fremont County: +13 net from other states, 300 moved in or out Albia · Monroe County: +0 net from other states, 286 moved in or out Keosauqua · Van Buren County: +3 net from other states, 279 moved in or out Corydon · Wayne County: -9 net from other states, 281 moved in or out Sibley · Osceola County: -4 net from other states, 248 moved in or out Bedford · Taylor County: +7 net from other states, 247 moved in or out Audubon · Audubon County: -6 net from other states, 221 moved in or out Mount Ayr · Ringgold County: -27 net from other states, 194 moved in or out Corning · Adams County: +0 net from other states, 156 moved in or out Des Moines · Polk County: -423 net from other states, 25,252 moved in or out
Every county at a glance.
Gained households from other states
Lost households to other states
Circle size — households that moved in or out.
Des Moines · Polk County — the busiest moving market in Iowa.
Where Iowa is gaining from other states
Largest net state-to-state changes by county — same basis as the figures above, top eight only. Each city page adds the in-state picture.
Waukee Dallas County +127
#117 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Davenport Scott County +112
#520 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Council Bluffs Pottawattamie County +84
#1,144 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Dubuque Dubuque County +54
#1,991 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Atlantic Cass County +44
#1,329 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Ottumwa Wapello County +42
#2,094 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Iowa Falls Hardin County +41
#2,326 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Glenwood Mills County +39
#1,355 of 3,087 U.S. counties for total household growth
Where Iowa is losing to other states
Largest net state-to-state changes by county — same basis as the figures above, top eight only. Each city page adds the in-state picture.
Iowa City Johnson County -608
Ames Story County -559
Des Moines Polk County -423
Cedar Rapids Linn County -317
Sioux City Woodbury County -136
Waterloo Black Hawk County -107
Sioux Center Sioux County -98
Grinnell Poweshiek County -73
Which states Iowa trades households with
Each bar shows that state's in/out split — rows ranked by total volume. The IRS publishes only each county's largest partner states, so smaller streams are left out and these totals run below the headline figures.
Illinois +143
2,932 in
2,789 out
Nebraska +20
1,929 in
1,909 out
Minnesota -472
365 in
837 out
Arizona -164
506 in
670 out
Texas -222
293 in
515 out
South Dakota -166
314 in
480 out

Households arriving in Iowa from another state report $61,810 in average annual income; those leaving for another state report $65,386. Departures out-earn arrivals — Iowa is losing its higher earners.

Arriving from another state$61,810
Leaving for another state$65,386
Compare movers in Des Moines →
City-level breakdowns
Every city page has its own migration section — who's arriving, from how far, and what kind of mover that calls for.
Des Moines Iowa City Cedar Rapids Waukee Davenport Ames Waterloo Sioux City Council Bluffs Dubuque Indianola Mason City

How this works: IRS SOI County-to-County Migration Data, 2022-2023. The IRS compares the address on consecutive tax returns, so every move here is a real filed household. The headline figures and county lists count moves that crossed a state line; the five-year chart counts every move, including from abroad. The data publishes annually with about a two-year lag, misses people who don't file a return, and leaves 48% of moves unattributed to a specific county, because flows too small to publish are grouped into regional buckets. 99 of Iowa's counties have published data.