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 adults are 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.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Feeding America, OECD Regional Demography, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
