Iowa
These are the top Iowa counties with the most bang for your buck, according to new ranking
Cost of living: How to calculate and compare
The cost of living is the amount of money it takes to cover basic expenses.
Just Curious
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.
Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol said it responded to 206 calls for service after another weekend winter storm Saturday.
From 5:30 am to 5:30 pm, ISP said it covered 88 crashes, with 74 resulting in property damage.
Officials said one person died and 13 others were injured.
The patrol had 118 motorist assists.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
See Iowa DOT snowplow camera capture moment SUV rear ends plow
An Iowa DOT snowplow was hit while clearing snow along Iowa Highway 60 in Sioux County on Nov. 29, 2025. The crash was caught on the plow’s cameras.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, for a large swath of the state, from northwest Iowa to much of central Iowa and southeast Iowa.
Drivers should expect slippery conditions.
Snow fell through the morning with accumulations of 2 to 3 inches across most of Iowa, according to the National Weather Service. The light, fluffy snow will taper off in the afternoon.
The weather service advises that snow-covered roads will make travel slick and more difficult and to use caution.
The counties affected include Pocahontas, Sac, Calhoun, Webster, Hamilton, Crawford, Carroll, Greene, Boone, Story, Marshall, Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, Jasper, Poweshiek, Warren, Marion, Mahaska, Monroe, Wapello and Davis.
Where did snow fall the most in Iowa?
Southern Iowa felt the brunt of the snow Saturday morning, with some areas experiencing nearly five inches of accumulation. Here are the highest totals so far in Iowa:
- Milton: 4.5 inches
- Parnell: 4.5 inches
- Norwalk: 3.8 inches
- Badger: 3.5 inches
- Bloomfield: 3.3 inches
- Carroll: 3.2 inches
- Buffalo: 3.2 inches
- North English: 3 inches
- Winterset: 2.6 inches
How much snow has fallen in Des Moines?
The Des Moines International Airport reported 1.2 inches of snow as of 6 a.m. Saturday. Norwalk, just south of Des Moines, reported 3.8 inches of snow by 10:30 a.m. Clive reported 2.7 inches of snow at 10 a.m.
How much snow did Iowa City get?
North Liberty, just north of Iowa City, reported three inches of snow as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Tiffin, which is to the northwest of Iowa City, reported 2.7 inches of snow at 10 a.m.
Roads across the state are covered in snow
The Iowa DOT reported that, as of 11 a.m., many of central Iowa’s highways and interstates were completely covered with snow. The organization said travel on I-80 from central Iowa to the Illinois border is not advised.
“Visibility and road conditions are deteriorating rapidly, causing multiple crashes and closing lanes,” the DOT said in a social media post around 11 a.m.
More snow followed by frigid temps
A cold weather advisory is in effect for much of northern, central and southeastern Iowa into Sunday morning. In the Des Moines area, wind chill values could drop to as low as -15. Wind chills across the state are expected between -20 and -30 starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.
(This article has been updated to include new information.)
CLARKE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa man was charged Friday in connection to a deadly horse-drawn buggy crash that killed a teenager last month.
Jacob Wright, 41, of Grand River, is facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of a deadly accident.
The crash happened in Clarke County on November 12. According to the crash report, Wright’s car hit the back of the buggy and ran it into a ditch.
Elmer Borntrager, 16, was thrown from the buggy and died at the scene.
Police found Wright’s damaged vehicle days later about five miles from the crash scene.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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