Iowa

These are the top Iowa counties with the most bang for your buck, according to new ranking

Published

12 months ago

January 2, 2025

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These are the top Iowa counties with the most bang for your buck, according to new ranking

Have you ever wondered where in Iowa you can get the most bang for your buck?

SmartAsset, a New York-based financial advising company, looked for the most economical or “paycheck friendly” places to live across the United States.

To determine where paychecks stretch the farthest, SmartAsset calculated rankings for counties and county equivalents based on four variables: Semi-monthly paycheck averages, purchasing power, the county unemployment rate and income growth.

Here are the rankings for Iowa.

No. 1: Polk County

What makes Polk County so economical? According to SmartAsset, the county has high purchasing power, which is the value of goods or services $1 can buy, at 1.33, meaning money stretches farther compared to the state average of 1.21. Additionally, the county has an unemployment rate of just 3.4% and an income growth rate of 4.4%.

The county scored 47.35 on Smart Asset’s paycheck-friendly index.

No. 2: Warren County

Warren County, bordering Polk on the south and part of the Des Moines metro, has a population of about 55,000 people, according to the most recent census data.

It has an even lower unemployment rate than Polk at 2.8%, which also is below the state average of 3%, according to SmartAset. Additionally, Warren County boasts a 1.43 purchasing power.

No. 3: Dallas County

Dallas County, Polk’s western neighbor and another Des Moines metro county, rounded out the top three most-paycheck-friendly counties in Iowa.

The county scored 46.50 on SmartAsset’s most paycheck-friendly index, with a 3.4% unemployment rate and purchasing power of 1.49.

Other top10 paycheck-friendly counties in Iowa

4. Woodbury (home of Sioux City).

5. Calhoun.

6. Madison.

7. Sac.

8. Scott (home of Davenport).

9. Emmet.

10. Linn (home of Cedar Rapids).

How does Iowa stack up overall?

Though it ranked at the top for paycheck friendliness in Iowa, Polk County weighed in at 2,961 of 3,244 counties or county equivalents nationwide in the SmartAsset calculations.

The top 10 counties nationally were in Texas, with No. 1-ranked Winkler County and several others, and in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.

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Iowa

States including Iowa, Nebraska reach $150M settlement with Mercedes-Benz

Published

9 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

States including Iowa, Nebraska reach 0M settlement with Mercedes-Benz

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – A coalition of states including both Iowa and Nebraska reached a nearly $150 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz.

The states allege over 200,000 diesel vehicles were illegally equipped with devices designed to cheat on emissions tests between 2008 and 2016.

Mercedes allegedly hid the existence of these devices from regulators and people purchasing the vehicles.

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Iowa

See where Iowa State basketball ranks in the AP and coaches polls

Published

21 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

See where Iowa State basketball ranks in the AP and coaches polls

Iowa State basketball is now ranked in the top three.

The Cyclone men improved to 13-0 this week after obliterating Long Beach State on Dec. 21 at Hilton Coliseum.

With the holiday week, Iowa State is off before returning for a home game Monday, Dec. 29, against Houston Christian at 7 p.m.

Here is a look at where the Cyclones stand in the latest college basketball rankings:

Iowa State rankings update

Iowa State moved up one spot to No. 3 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. The Cyclones were previously at No. 4.

USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball coaches poll

Here is a look at the new USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

Michigan
Arizona
Iowa State
UConn
Purdue
Duke
Gonzaga
Houston
Michigan State
BYU
Vanderbilt
North Carolina
Nebraska
Louisville
Alabama
Texas Tech
Kansas
Arkansas
Illinois
Tennessee
Virginia
Florida
Iowa
Georgia
USC

Others receiving votes

St. John’s 32; Kentucky 32; Seton Hall 20; Utah State 15; Auburn 10; California 9; UCLA 8; Saint Louis 8; LSU 6; Yale 4; Oklahoma State 3; Saint Mary’s 1; Indiana 1; Clemson 1;

AP Poll

Here is a look at the new Associated Press poll.

Arizona
Michigan
Iowa State
UConn
Purdue
Duke
Gonzaga
Houston
Michigan State
BYU
Vanderbilt
North Carolina
Nebraska
Alabama
Texas Tech
Louisville
Kansas
Arkansas
Tennessee
Illinois
Virginia
Florida
Georgia
USC
Iowa

Others receiving votes

Kentucky 78, Seton Hall 49, Auburn 39, St. John’s 23, California 19, LSU 17, UCLA 13, Clemson 9, Miami (Ohio) 6, Utah St. 5, Arizona St 5, Indiana 4, Miami 4, Saint Louis 3, Belmont 2, Baylor 1, Oklahoma St. 1, UCF 1, NC State 1.

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Iowa

Jaxx DeJean, brother of Hawkeye icon Cooper, commits to Iowa football

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Jaxx DeJean, brother of Hawkeye icon Cooper, commits to Iowa football

Class of 2027 prospect Jaxx DeJean, the younger brother of former Iowa football star Cooper DeJean, has committed to the Hawkeyes.

Jaxx DeJean made the announcement via social media on Dec. 21.

DeJean, listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, committed to Iowa as a tight end.

DeJean is a 3-star prospect and the fifth-ranked player in the state of Iowa’s 2027 high school class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

As a junior at OABCIG, DeJean showed versatility offensively. He led the team with 36 receptions for 461 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 207 yards and three touchdowns. DeJean also passed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, DeJean recorded 18.5 total tackles and three interceptions.

DeJean was named honorable mention All-Iowa by the Des Moines Register.

The Odebolt product earned offers from UNLV, Kansas State, Michigan, UAB and Iowa.

DeJean has become a well-known last name in the Hawkeye and NFL communities.

Cooper DeJean became an Iowa legend in three seasons with the Hawkeyes, starring as a defensive back and punt returner. As a junior, DeJean was Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year.

DeJean’s story rose to new heights once he got to the NFL. He somewhat surprisingly slipped to the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but was scooped up by the Philadelphia Eagles, which ultimately proved beneficial for both sides. As a rookie, DeJean picked off a pass from megastar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and returned it for a touchdown in Super Bowl LIX to help the Eagles take down the Chiefs.

Before the 2024 NFL Draft, DeJean commented on the recruitment of brother Jaxx.

“I want him to make his own decision,” Cooper said of Jaxx in March of 2024. “If he could be here, that’d be awesome. We’ve all grown up Iowa fans, but I’ll definitely be giving my pitch, for sure.”

Jaxx DeJean is the third prospect to commit to Iowa’s 2027 recruiting class this month.

4-star Bettendorf linebacker Gavin Stecker announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes on Dec. 9. Less than one week later, Pleasantville High School Braylon Bingham also committed to Iowa as a linebacker. And now, DeJean becomes Iowa’s first offensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.

All three members of Iowa’s 2027 recruiting class are in-state products.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

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