Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iowa instead of New York, you would:
Health
be 29.4% more likely to be obese
In New York, 29.9% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Iowa, that number is 38.7% of people as of 2022.
Economy
be 25.0% less likely to be unemployed
In New York, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iowa, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 21.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In New York, 13.3% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Iowa, however, that number is 10.5% as of 2023.
make 30.7% less money
New York has a GDP per capita of $91,992 as of 2024, while in Iowa, the GDP per capita is $63,747 as of 2024.
Safety
be 27.3% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
New York has a violent crime rate of 381 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iowa, that number is 277 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 18.9% less likely to be a victim of property crime
New York has a property crime rate of 1,760 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iowa, that number is 1,427 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 51.4% less for a home
The median home value in New York is $403,000 as of 2023, compared to $195,900 in Iowa as of 2023.
pay 39.8% less in rent
The median monthly gross rent in New York is $1,576 as of 2023, while in Iowa, it is $949 as of 2023.
be 31.7% more likely to own your home
In New York, 54.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied as of 2023. In Iowa, that number is 71.5% as of 2023.
earn 13.5% less money
The median household income in New York is $84,578 as of 2023, while in Iowa, it is $73,147 as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 13.0 minutes less
The average one-way commute in New York takes 32.8 minutes as of 2023. In Iowa, it takes 19.8 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 86.2% less densely populated
New York has a population density of 161.4 people per sq km as of 2023. In Iowa, that number is 22.2 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 34.5% less likely to be food insecure
In New York, 11.3% of the population is food insecure as of 2021. In Iowa, that number is 7.4% as of 2021.
be 28.1% more likely to smoke
In New York, 12.8% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Iowa, that number is 16.4% as of 2022.
be 26.4% less likely to have a bachelor's degree
In New York, 27.7% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In Iowa, that number is 20.4% as of 2023.
be 65.9% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In New York, 9.1% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Iowa, that number is 3.1% as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2023), Feeding America (2021). How we calculate this
