Should I Move To
Sioux City, Iowa comes in at about 85,469 residents. Cost of living comes out very affordable — 22% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $904/mo, and the median household income is about $64,250. Overall, 53/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C-, putting it at #394 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 78 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very affordable territory. With median rent at $904/mo and median household income at $64,250, housing takes about 17% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $149,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect cold-winter weather — summers near 83°F, winters around 18°F. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving. Reported crime is somewhat above average, though specific neighborhoods vary widely. AQI runs about 39 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Sioux City is a tougher sell for families. The profile-weighted score is 48/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is affordability (99/100); the soft spot is climate (16/100).
Sioux City is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 53/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (99/100); the soft spot is climate (16/100).
On the remote workers profile, Sioux City sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 62/100 — a C+. Its standout dimension is affordability (99/100); the soft spot is climate (16/100).
Sioux City is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 52/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is affordability (99/100); the soft spot is climate (16/100).
Our overall score for Sioux City is 53/100 — a C-, sitting at #394 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, Sioux City sits at 78 — very affordable, 22% below the national average. Median renter pays around $904 a month.
Sioux City runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 83°F, winter's near 18°F.
Walk Score: 58/100. Walkability varies a lot by neighborhood — denser pockets work fine on foot, the rest leans on driving.
Roughly 85,469 people live here, with 23% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 35.
Drop Sioux City into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Sioux City with other Iowa cities scored on UrbRank.
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