Cities with highest divorce rate in Iowa research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to analyze Iowa’s most recent Census data to determine the divorce rate for each city in Iowa based on the percentage of currently divorced residents. Here are the results of our analysis:
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The city with the highest divorce rate in Iowa is Perry based on the most recent Census data.
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Perry is 14.0% Divorced.
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The city with the lowest divorce rate in Iowa is Storm Lake.
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Storm Lake is 2.0% Divorced.
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Iowa is 7.0% Divorced.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
There are some 178,972 people living in Iowa over fifteen years of age who are divorced. You can compare that to the 28,339,199 Americans who are currently divorced in 2025.
Many people decide to run away – or split up – across the Hawkeye State.
Isn’t the divorce rate in America close to 50%? Yes indeed. But we’re measuring something else; we are looking at counts and percentages of people over 15 years old who are currently divorced. That 50% statistic is for the percentage of people who have ever been divorced.
For today’s analysis, the focus will be on the number of currently divorced people.
So now that we have you biting your nails, rethinking your worldview, and pulling out your hair, let’s look at the places in Iowa with the highest rates of divorcees.
The 10 Cities In Iowa With The Highest Divorce Rates
Let’s quickly recap before we dive into the Saturday Night Science behind the data.
What is the city in Iowa with the highest divorce rate? That would be Perry, with 14.0% of people over 15 years of age being divorced, per the most recent census data.
What is the overall Iowa divorce rate? According to the 2019-2023 Community Survey, the overall divorce rate in Iowa is 7.0%, which compares to the US divorce rate of 10.9%.
Alrighty, on to how we calculated the places with the highest divorce rates in Iowa.
For more Iowa reading, check out:
The 10 Places With The Highest Divorce Rate In Iowa For 2025
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Population: 7,928
Divorce Rate: 14.0%
Divorcees: 887
Median Income: $63,983
More on Perry: Data
/10
Population: 9,748
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 1,013
Median Income: $49,340
More on Keokuk: Data
/10
Population: 5,553
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 577
Median Income: $56,167
More on Anamosa: Data
/10
Population: 7,314
Divorce Rate: 13.0%
Divorcees: 760
Median Income: $56,536
More on Washington: Data
/10
Population: 7,321
Divorce Rate: 12.0%
Divorcees: 702
Median Income: $56,734
More on Charles City: Data
/10
Population: 5,865
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 516
Median Income: $54,624
More on Estherville: Data
/10
Population: 24,788
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 2,181
Median Income: $61,769
More on Fort Dodge: Data
/10
Population: 7,603
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 669
Median Income: $70,278
More on Clear Lake: Data
9. Osceola
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Population: 5,495
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 483
Median Income: $62,363
More on Osceola:
/10
Population: 5,878
Divorce Rate: 11.0%
Divorcees: 517
Median Income: $49,821
More on Oelwein: Data
How We Determined The Places In Iowa That Get Un-Hitched The Most
Since this is the 58th category of rankings we are compiling for the site, we had a pretty good idea of where to find data on marriage and divorce in America. We used Saturday Night Science to look at the U.S. Census Bureau on divorce rates. Because who likes tracking misery more than the U.S. government?
Specifically, we looked at the 2019-2023 American Community Survey table S1201 — Marital Status.
Pretty straightforward on that front — we just had to extract the following column of data:
- Population 15 Years and Over -> Divorced
There are some interesting/fun/sad data like .1% of female Americans aged 15-19 are divorced, but 0% of males (That’s probably a rounding issue, but still).
But the national data is for another day. Today, the analysis focuses on the 85 places in Iowa with a population of over 5,000.
We ranked each place by the percentage of divorcees over 15 years of age from highest to lowest. We crowned the divorce capital of Iowa the place with the highest incidence of divorcees, Perry.
And if you’re trying to avoid divorce, check out Storm Lake, the city with the lowest divorce rate in Iowa.
We updated this article for 2025 and this list is our fifth time ranking the cities in Iowa with the highest divorce rates.
Getting Some Closure In Iowa After Untying The Know
Besides just coming up with what we thought would be a great new blog/book title, “Untying the Knot In Iowa: Life After Divorce,” we now have a sense of what places in the Hawkeye State don’t pay much attention to the whole “’til death do we part” phrase.
The cities with the highest divorce rate in Iowa are Perry, Keokuk, Anamosa, Washington, Charles City, Estherville, Fort Dodge, Clear Lake, Osceola, and Oelwein.
Try to keep in mind that the reason cities rank where they do in Iowa could be because of the age, education, and income distribution, as all of those things impact the rate of divorce.
And that’s probably for the best. Getting out of a toxic relationship is much better than staying in it.
Just make sure you have your running shoes ready to go.
For more Iowa reading, check out:
Cities With The Highest Divorce Rates In Iowa
| Rank | City | Population | Divorcees | Divorce Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perry, IA | 7,928 | 887 | 14.0% |
| 2 | Keokuk, IA | 9,748 | 1,013 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Anamosa, IA | 5,553 | 577 | 13.0% |
| 4 | Washington, IA | 7,314 | 760 | 13.0% |
| 5 | Charles City, IA | 7,321 | 702 | 12.0% |
| 6 | Estherville, IA | 5,865 | 516 | 11.0% |
| 7 | Fort Dodge, IA | 24,788 | 2,181 | 11.0% |
| 8 | Clear Lake, IA | 7,603 | 669 | 11.0% |
| 9 | Osceola, IA | 5,495 | 483 | 11.0% |
| 10 | Oelwein, IA | 5,878 | 517 | 11.0% |
| 11 | Eldridge, IA | 6,743 | 593 | 11.0% |
| 12 | Iowa Falls, IA | 5,062 | 445 | 11.0% |
| 13 | Newton, IA | 15,696 | 1,381 | 11.0% |
| 14 | Altoona, IA | 20,592 | 1,812 | 11.0% |
| 15 | Boone, IA | 12,445 | 995 | 10.0% |
| 16 | Hiawatha, IA | 7,178 | 574 | 10.0% |
| 17 | Centerville, IA | 5,377 | 430 | 10.0% |
| 18 | Nevada, IA | 6,952 | 556 | 10.0% |
| 19 | Atlantic, IA | 6,773 | 541 | 10.0% |
| 20 | Clinton, IA | 24,425 | 1,954 | 10.0% |
| 21 | Ottumwa, IA | 25,352 | 2,028 | 10.0% |
| 22 | Knoxville, IA | 7,493 | 599 | 10.0% |
| 23 | Burlington, IA | 23,800 | 1,904 | 10.0% |
| 24 | Norwalk, IA | 13,610 | 1,088 | 10.0% |
| 25 | Fort Madison, IA | 10,221 | 735 | 9.0% |
| 26 | Muscatine, IA | 23,567 | 1,696 | 9.0% |
| 27 | Mason City, IA | 27,135 | 1,953 | 9.0% |
| 28 | Creston, IA | 7,466 | 537 | 9.0% |
| 29 | Webster City, IA | 7,769 | 559 | 9.0% |
| 30 | Waterloo, IA | 66,947 | 4,820 | 9.0% |
| 31 | Bondurant, IA | 8,061 | 580 | 9.0% |
| 32 | Spencer, IA | 11,393 | 820 | 9.0% |
| 33 | Pleasant Hill, IA | 10,796 | 690 | 8.0% |
| 34 | Maquoketa, IA | 6,105 | 390 | 8.0% |
| 35 | Manchester, IA | 5,144 | 329 | 8.0% |
| 36 | Mount Pleasant, IA | 9,093 | 581 | 8.0% |
| 37 | Spirit Lake, IA | 5,469 | 350 | 8.0% |
| 38 | Carroll, IA | 10,261 | 656 | 8.0% |
| 39 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 136,859 | 8,758 | 8.0% |
| 40 | Grinnell, IA | 9,527 | 609 | 8.0% |
| 41 | Cherokee, IA | 5,157 | 330 | 8.0% |
| 42 | Oskaloosa, IA | 11,492 | 735 | 8.0% |
| 43 | Clarinda, IA | 5,366 | 343 | 8.0% |
| 44 | Council Bluffs, IA | 62,564 | 4,004 | 8.0% |
| 45 | Marion, IA | 41,690 | 2,668 | 8.0% |
| 46 | Des Moines, IA | 212,464 | 13,597 | 8.0% |
| 47 | Tiffin, IA | 5,271 | 295 | 7.0% |
| 48 | Sioux City, IA | 85,651 | 4,796 | 7.0% |
| 49 | Sergeant Bluff, IA | 5,090 | 285 | 7.0% |
| 50 | Polk City, IA | 5,833 | 326 | 7.0% |
| 51 | Red Oak, IA | 5,542 | 310 | 7.0% |
| 52 | Winterset, IA | 5,384 | 301 | 7.0% |
| 53 | Windsor Heights, IA | 5,171 | 289 | 7.0% |
| 54 | Algona, IA | 5,414 | 303 | 7.0% |
| 55 | Indianola, IA | 15,918 | 891 | 7.0% |
| 56 | Independence, IA | 6,149 | 344 | 7.0% |
| 57 | Fairfield, IA | 9,438 | 528 | 7.0% |
| 58 | Dubuque, IA | 59,271 | 3,319 | 7.0% |
| 59 | Le Mars, IA | 10,597 | 508 | 6.0% |
| 60 | West Des Moines, IA | 69,893 | 3,354 | 6.0% |
| 61 | Waukee, IA | 26,974 | 1,294 | 6.0% |
| 62 | Ankeny, IA | 70,542 | 3,386 | 6.0% |
| 63 | Bettendorf, IA | 39,297 | 1,886 | 6.0% |
| 64 | Marshalltown, IA | 27,491 | 1,319 | 6.0% |
| 65 | Davenport, IA | 101,083 | 4,851 | 6.0% |
| 66 | Decorah, IA | 7,597 | 364 | 6.0% |
| 67 | Adel, IA | 6,259 | 300 | 6.0% |
| 68 | Glenwood, IA | 5,118 | 245 | 6.0% |
| 69 | Johnston, IA | 24,196 | 1,161 | 6.0% |
| 70 | Grimes, IA | 15,810 | 758 | 6.0% |
| 71 | Pella, IA | 10,624 | 424 | 5.0% |
| 72 | Waverly, IA | 10,446 | 417 | 5.0% |
| 73 | Urbandale, IA | 46,026 | 1,841 | 5.0% |
| 74 | Denison, IA | 8,247 | 329 | 5.0% |
| 75 | Coralville, IA | 22,846 | 913 | 5.0% |
| 76 | Cedar Falls, IA | 40,662 | 1,626 | 5.0% |
| 77 | Sheldon, IA | 5,386 | 215 | 5.0% |
| 78 | Orange City, IA | 6,312 | 201 | 4.0% |
| 79 | Sioux Center, IA | 8,335 | 266 | 4.0% |
| 80 | Clive, IA | 18,776 | 450 | 3.0% |
| 81 | North Liberty, IA | 20,782 | 498 | 3.0% |
| 82 | Iowa City, IA | 75,264 | 1,806 | 3.0% |
| 83 | Asbury, IA | 5,949 | 142 | 3.0% |
| 84 | Ames, IA | 66,112 | 1,057 | 2.0% |
| 85 | Storm Lake, IA | 11,275 | 180 | 2.0% |