New Rankings Name Two Iowa Cities Among Best for Families

Iowa continues to be a pretty good place to raise a family. The folks at WalletHub have named two Iowa cities to their list of the best cities in the United States to raise a family in 2026.

The Best Cities in America to Raise a Family

So what exactly goes into these rankings? The Des Moines Register reports that the rankings were based on 45 metrics looking at factors like family fun, health and safety, education and child care, and affordability. The rankings are on a 100-point scale, with 100 being the highest possible score a city could get.

Two Iowa Cities Make the List

Out of 182 cities, the Register reports that two in the state of Iowa made the list. Cedar Rapids ranked #34 with an overall score of 58.76, and Des Moines came in at #78 with a score of 52.80. Here are both cities' full rankings.

Cedar Rapids

• Family Fun - 143rd
• Health and Safety - 18th
• Education and Childcare - 122nd
• Affordability - 11th

Des Moines

• Family Fun - 123rd
• Health and Safety - 75th
• Education and Childcare - 168th
• Affordability - 14th

The Register points out that both Iowa cities struggled in the education and childcare category, but did very well in affordability. In case you were wondering which US city came in at #1, it was Fremont, California, with an overall score of 72.80.

You can view the entire WalletHub list of the best cities to raise a family HERE.