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Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Iowa?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Iowa – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Iowa cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Hawkeye State:
- Anamosa (Photos)
- Des Moines (Photos)
- Keokuk (Photos)
- Osceola
- Red Oak (Photos)
- Fort Dodge (Photos)
- Bloomfield
- Davenport (Photos)
- Winterset (Photos)
- Council Bluffs (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Garner is the happiest place in Iowa.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
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How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Iowa
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Iowa, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Iowa with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 113 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Iowa’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
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1. Anamosa
Population: 5,526
People Who Own Their Home: 56.77%
Married Adults: 40.65%
2. Des Moines
Population: 206,702
People Who Own Their Home: 56.43%
Married Adults: 43.28%
3. Keokuk
Population: 10,742
People Who Own Their Home: 55.02%
Married Adults: 43.91%
4. Osceola
Population: 4,981
People Who Own Their Home: 51.62%
Married Adults: 45.61%
5. Red Oak
Population: 5,644
People Who Own Their Home: 55.08%
Married Adults: 47.95%
6. Fort Dodge
Population: 24,846
People Who Own Their Home: 54.98%
Married Adults: 38.13%
7. Bloomfield
Population: 2,636
People Who Own Their Home: 57.74%
Married Adults: 44.51%
8. Davenport
Population: 101,316
People Who Own Their Home: 56.55%
Married Adults: 44.44%
9. Winterset
Population: 5,165
People Who Own Their Home: 54.15%
Married Adults: 52.62%
10. Council Bluffs
Population: 62,261
People Who Own Their Home: 58.39%
Married Adults: 44.67%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Iowa reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Cities In Iowa
- These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Iowa
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Iowa
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Iowa
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Anamosa | 1 |
| Des Moines | 2 |
| Keokuk | 3 |
| Osceola | 4 |
| Red Oak | 5 |
| Fort Dodge | 6 |
| Bloomfield | 7 |
| Davenport | 8 |
| Winterset | 9 |
| Council Bluffs | 10 |
| Centerville | 11 |
| Fort Madison | 12 |
| Newton | 13 |
| Ames | 14 |
| Waterloo | 15 |
| Oskaloosa | 16 |
| West Liberty | 17 |
| Iowa City | 18 |
| Ottumwa | 19 |
| Fairfield | 20 |
| Charles City | 21 |
| Mitchellville | 22 |
| Sioux City | 23 |
| Mount Pleasant | 24 |
| Perry | 25 |
| Burlington | 26 |
| Cedar Falls | 27 |
| Oelwein | 28 |
| Knoxville | 29 |
| Clinton | 30 |
| Boone | 31 |
| Toledo | 32 |
| Indianola | 33 |
| Iowa Falls | 34 |
| Belle Plaine | 35 |
| Storm Lake | 36 |
| Maquoketa | 37 |
| Marshalltown | 38 |
| Clarinda | 39 |
| Denison | 40 |
| Dubuque | 41 |
| Marengo | 42 |
| Coralville | 43 |
| Mason City | 44 |
| Webster City | 45 |
| Grinnell | 46 |
| Shenandoah | 47 |
| Cedar Rapids | 48 |
| Jefferson | 49 |
| Clarion | 50 |
| Humboldt | 51 |
| Vinton | 52 |
| Hiawatha | 53 |
| Washington | 54 |
| Muscatine | 55 |
| Creston | 56 |
| Northwood | 57 |
| Estherville | 58 |
| Glenwood | 59 |
| Manchester | 60 |
| Nevada | 61 |
| Sumner | 62 |
| Bellevue | 63 |
| Greenfield | 64 |
| Milford | 65 |
| Cherokee | 66 |
| De Witt | 67 |
| Atlantic | 68 |
| West Des Moines | 69 |
| Hampton | 70 |
| Spencer | 71 |
| Clear Lake | 72 |
| Harlan | 73 |
| Carlisle | 74 |
| Ogden | 75 |
| Decorah | 76 |
| Marion | 77 |
| Jesup | 78 |
| Mount Vernon | 79 |
| Waverly | 80 |
| Adel | 81 |
| North Liberty | 82 |
| Altoona | 83 |
| Pella | 84 |
| Monticello | 85 |
| Solon | 86 |
| Pleasant Hill | 87 |
| Tipton | 88 |
| Sheldon | 89 |
| Eldridge | 90 |
| Norwalk | 91 |
| Center Point | 92 |
| Independence | 93 |
| Ankeny | 94 |
| Durant | 95 |
| Audubon | 96 |
| Forest City | 97 |
| Le Mars | 98 |
| Carroll | 99 |
| Bettendorf | 100 |
| Sioux Center | 101 |
| Algona | 102 |
| Williamsburg | 103 |
| Hull | 104 |
| Clive | 105 |
| Johnston | 106 |
| Urbandale | 107 |
| Waukee | 108 |
| Hudson | 109 |
| Fairfax | 110 |
| Orange City | 111 |
| Grimes | 112 |
| Garner | 113 |
