Population

Iowa City

75,264

Gardner

21,075

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

Gardner

$62,948

Home Value

Iowa City

$273,600

Gardner

$271,300

Rent

Iowa City

$1,094

Gardner

$1,071

Crime Rate

Iowa City

3.21

Gardner

3.29

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

Gardner

112.5

Avg Temp

Iowa City

N/A

Gardner

N/A

Unemployment

Iowa City

4.2%

Gardner

5.7%

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How Similar Are Iowa City & Gardner?

Gardner is Iowa City's #25 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Iowa City

75,264

vs

Gardner

21,075

Different · 72% difference

Iowa City (75,264) is about 3.6x larger than Gardner (21,075).

Violent Crime

Iowa City

3.21

vs

Gardner

3.29

Match · 2% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 2% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Iowa City

16.74

vs

Gardner

6.20

Different · 63% difference

Iowa City's property crime is significantly higher than Gardner's — 63% difference.

Political Leaning

Iowa City

30.3%

vs

Gardner

43.9%

Different · 31% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Gardner has a stronger Democratic lean (31% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Iowa City

4.2%

vs

Gardner

5.7%

Different · 25% difference

Gardner has a 25% higher unemployment than Iowa City.

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

vs

Gardner

$62,948

Match · 9% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Iowa City

$273,600

vs

Gardner

$271,300

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 1% difference.

Education

Iowa City

31.7%

vs

Gardner

17.3%

Different · 45% difference
🎓

Iowa City has a 45% higher education than Gardner.

Demographics

🌍

Iowa City

75.1%

vs

Gardner

81.3%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

vs

Gardner

112.5

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Iowa City and Gardner share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Iowa City

vsof 8

0

Gardner

Iowa City leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Iowa City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Iowa City has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,141 vs $1,749 in Gardner (35% lower). Iowa City has a fair market rent (1br) of $961 vs $1,410 in Gardner (32% lower). Iowa City scores 78.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 112.3 in Gardner.

Overall Cost Index

Iowa City107.8
Gardner112.5

Housing Index

Iowa City139.6
Gardner131.9

Food Index

Iowa City94.0
Gardner98.1

Transportation Index

Iowa City78.2
Gardner112.3

Healthcare Index

Iowa City95.2
Gardner98.5

Utilities Index

Iowa City104.3
Gardner105.3

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Iowa City$47,436
Gardner$49,519

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Iowa City$112,122
Gardner$117,044

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Iowa City$961
Gardner$1,410

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Iowa City$1,141
Gardner$1,749

Housing Market — Gardner leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gardner has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 9.1% in Iowa City. Gardner has a median property tax of $3,685 vs $4,765 in Iowa City (29% lower). Gardner has a owner-occupied of 56.8% compared to 46.3% in Iowa City.

Median Home Value

Iowa City$273,600
Gardner$271,300

Median Rent

Iowa City$1,094
Gardner$1,071

Median Property Tax

Iowa City$4,765
Gardner$3,685

Owner-Occupied

Iowa City46.3%
Gardner56.8%

Vacancy Rate

Iowa City9.1%
Gardner6.1%

Single-Family Homes

Iowa City49.8%
Gardner50.6%

Jobs & Economy — Gardner leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City: 45,100 vs Gardner: 10,083 for labor force. Gardner has a poverty rate of 14.3% compared to 26.3% in Iowa City. Iowa City: 16 min vs Gardner: 27 min for mean commute.

Median Household Income

Iowa City$57,533
Gardner$62,948

Per Capita Income

Iowa City$37,123
Gardner$34,248

Poverty Rate

Iowa City26.3%
Gardner14.3%

Unemployment Rate

Iowa City4.2%
Gardner5.7%

Labor Force

Iowa City45,100
Gardner10,083

Mean Commute

Iowa City16 min
Gardner27 min

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Gardner12.0%

Private Sector

Iowa City78.0%
Gardner84.2%

Government Sector

Iowa City31.9%
Gardner37.7%

Crime & Safety

Source: FBI UCR

Gardner has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.50 in Iowa City. Iowa City has a property crime clearance of 21.9% compared to 5.3% in Gardner. Gardner has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 4.74 compared to 13.89 in Iowa City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City3.21
Gardner3.29

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City16.74
Gardner6.20

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.00
Gardner0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.50
Gardner0.05

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City2.17
Gardner2.96

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City1.57
Gardner0.89

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City13.89
Gardner4.74

Violent Crime Clearance

Iowa City52.0%
Gardner50.0%

Property Crime Clearance

Iowa City21.9%
Gardner5.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Avg Annual High

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Avg Annual Low

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Annual Rainfall

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Annual Snowfall

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Avg Humidity

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Iowa City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.7% compared to 17.3% in Gardner. Gardner has a high school diploma or higher of 43.2% compared to 38.9% in Iowa City.

Public Schools

Iowa City0
Gardner0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Iowa CityN/A
GardnerN/A

Colleges & Universities

Iowa City0
Gardner0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Iowa City31.7%
Gardner17.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Iowa City38.9%
Gardner43.2%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a population of 75,264, about 3.6x the size of Gardner (21,075). Iowa City skews younger with a median age of 26.3 vs 43.5.

Population

Iowa City75,264
Gardner21,075

Median Age

Iowa City26
Gardner44

Avg Household Size

Iowa City2.2
Gardner2.2

Married Population

Iowa City28.9%
Gardner37.9%

Foreign Born

Iowa City12.2%
Gardner8.0%

White

Iowa City75.1%
Gardner81.3%

Black

Iowa City8.4%
Gardner4.7%

Hispanic

Iowa City8.1%
Gardner9.4%

Asian

Iowa City6.8%
Gardner2.8%

Iowa City

Gardner

Healthcare — Iowa City leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Iowa City: 3.6 vs Gardner: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Iowa City: 5 vs Gardner: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Iowa City5
Gardner5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Iowa City3.6
Gardner2.8

With Emergency Services

Iowa City5
Gardner4

Transportation & Commute — Iowa City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a bicycle of 3.1% compared to 0.3% in Gardner. Iowa City has a public transit of 6.7% compared to 2.2% in Gardner. Iowa City: 16 min vs Gardner: 27 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Iowa City16 min
Gardner27 min

Drive Alone

Iowa City56.0%
Gardner69.5%

Public Transit

Iowa City6.7%
Gardner2.2%

Bicycle

Iowa City3.1%
Gardner0.3%

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Gardner12.0%

Airports

Iowa City0
Gardner0

Cities Similar to Iowa City, IA

Compare Iowa City against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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