Population

Iowa City

75,264

Harrisonburg

51,492

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

Harrisonburg

$59,752

Home Value

Iowa City

$273,600

Harrisonburg

$278,200

Rent

Iowa City

$1,094

Harrisonburg

$1,120

Crime Rate

Iowa City

3.21

Harrisonburg

2.67

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

Harrisonburg

104.6

Avg Temp

Iowa City

N/A

Harrisonburg

N/A

Unemployment

Iowa City

4.2%

Harrisonburg

7.1%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Iowa City & Harrisonburg?

Harrisonburg is Iowa City's #9 most similar city

4/10

4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Iowa City

75,264

vs

Harrisonburg

51,492

Different · 32% difference

Iowa City has a 32% larger population than Harrisonburg.

Violent Crime

Iowa City

3.21

vs

Harrisonburg

2.67

Different · 17% difference
🚨

Iowa City has a 17% higher violent crime than Harrisonburg.

Property Crime

🔒

Iowa City

16.74

vs

Harrisonburg

16.93

Match · 1% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 1% difference.

Political Leaning

Iowa City

30.3%

vs

Harrisonburg

36.3%

Different · 17% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Harrisonburg has a stronger Democratic lean (17% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Iowa City

4.2%

vs

Harrisonburg

7.1%

Different · 40% difference

Harrisonburg has a 40% higher unemployment than Iowa City.

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

vs

Harrisonburg

$59,752

Match · 4% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Iowa City

$273,600

vs

Harrisonburg

$278,200

Match · 2% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.

Education

Iowa City

31.7%

vs

Harrisonburg

18.7%

Different · 41% difference
🎓

Iowa City has a 41% higher education than Harrisonburg.

Demographics

🌍

Iowa City

75.1%

vs

Harrisonburg

66.5%

Different · 11% difference

Iowa City has a 11% higher demographics than Harrisonburg.

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

vs

Harrisonburg

104.6

Match · 3% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 3% difference.

4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Iowa City and Harrisonburg share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Iowa City

vsof 8

0

Harrisonburg

Harrisonburg leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Iowa City has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,141 vs $1,322 in Harrisonburg (14% lower). Iowa City has a fair market rent (1br) of $961 vs $1,057 in Harrisonburg (9% lower). Harrisonburg scores 128.0 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 139.6 in Iowa City.

Overall Cost Index

Iowa City107.8
Harrisonburg104.6

Housing Index

Iowa City139.6
Harrisonburg128.0

Food Index

Iowa City94.0
Harrisonburg95.7

Transportation Index

Iowa City78.2
Harrisonburg78.7

Healthcare Index

Iowa City95.2
Harrisonburg96.5

Utilities Index

Iowa City104.3
Harrisonburg103.0

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Iowa City$47,436
Harrisonburg$46,028

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Iowa City$112,122
Harrisonburg$108,794

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Iowa City$961
Harrisonburg$1,057

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Iowa City$1,141
Harrisonburg$1,322

Housing Market — Harrisonburg leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Harrisonburg has a median property tax of $2,172 vs $4,765 in Iowa City (119% lower). Harrisonburg has a vacancy rate of 7.1% compared to 9.1% in Iowa City. Harrisonburg has a single-family homes of 60.0% compared to 49.8% in Iowa City.

Median Home Value

Iowa City$273,600
Harrisonburg$278,200

Median Rent

Iowa City$1,094
Harrisonburg$1,120

Median Property Tax

Iowa City$4,765
Harrisonburg$2,172

Owner-Occupied

Iowa City46.3%
Harrisonburg39.9%

Vacancy Rate

Iowa City9.1%
Harrisonburg7.1%

Single-Family Homes

Iowa City49.8%
Harrisonburg60.0%

Jobs & Economy — Harrisonburg leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City: 45,100 vs Harrisonburg: 26,774 for labor force. Iowa City has a unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to 7.1% in Harrisonburg. Iowa City has a per capita income of $37,123 vs $27,957 in Harrisonburg (33% higher).

Median Household Income

Iowa City$57,533
Harrisonburg$59,752

Per Capita Income

Iowa City$37,123
Harrisonburg$27,957

Poverty Rate

Iowa City26.3%
Harrisonburg25.6%

Unemployment Rate

Iowa City4.2%
Harrisonburg7.1%

Labor Force

Iowa City45,100
Harrisonburg26,774

Mean Commute

Iowa City16 min
Harrisonburg16 min

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Harrisonburg8.6%

Private Sector

Iowa City78.0%
Harrisonburg89.5%

Government Sector

Iowa City31.9%
Harrisonburg41.9%

Crime & Safety — Harrisonburg leads

Source: FBI UCR

Harrisonburg has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.21 compared to 0.50 in Iowa City. Harrisonburg has a violent crime clearance of 73.7% compared to 52.0% in Iowa City. Harrisonburg has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.67 compared to 3.21 in Iowa City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City3.21
Harrisonburg2.67

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City16.74
Harrisonburg16.93

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.00
Harrisonburg0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.50
Harrisonburg0.21

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City2.17
Harrisonburg1.89

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City1.57
Harrisonburg1.35

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City13.89
Harrisonburg14.73

Violent Crime Clearance

Iowa City52.0%
Harrisonburg73.7%

Property Crime Clearance

Iowa City21.9%
Harrisonburg27.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Avg Annual High

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Avg Annual Low

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Annual Rainfall

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Annual Snowfall

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Avg Humidity

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Schools & Education — Iowa City leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Iowa City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 31.7% compared to 18.7% in Harrisonburg. Iowa City has a high school diploma or higher of 38.9% compared to 30.5% in Harrisonburg.

Public Schools

Iowa City0
Harrisonburg0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Iowa CityN/A
HarrisonburgN/A

Colleges & Universities

Iowa City0
Harrisonburg0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Iowa City31.7%
Harrisonburg18.7%

High School Diploma or Higher

Iowa City38.9%
Harrisonburg30.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a population of 75,264, about 1.5x the size of Harrisonburg (51,492).

Population

Iowa City75,264
Harrisonburg51,492

Median Age

Iowa City26
Harrisonburg25

Avg Household Size

Iowa City2.2
Harrisonburg2.6

Married Population

Iowa City28.9%
Harrisonburg26.8%

Foreign Born

Iowa City12.2%
Harrisonburg17.3%

White

Iowa City75.1%
Harrisonburg66.5%

Black

Iowa City8.4%
Harrisonburg7.6%

Hispanic

Iowa City8.1%
Harrisonburg23.1%

Asian

Iowa City6.8%
Harrisonburg3.2%

Iowa City

Harrisonburg

Healthcare — Harrisonburg leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Harrisonburg: 4.3 vs Iowa City: 3.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Iowa City5
Harrisonburg5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Iowa City3.6
Harrisonburg4.3

With Emergency Services

Iowa City5
Harrisonburg5

Transportation & Commute — Iowa City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a public transit of 6.7% compared to 1.3% in Harrisonburg. Iowa City has a bicycle of 3.1% compared to 1.9% in Harrisonburg. Iowa City has a work from home of 11.2% compared to 8.6% in Harrisonburg.

Mean Commute Time

Iowa City16 min
Harrisonburg16 min

Drive Alone

Iowa City56.0%
Harrisonburg68.6%

Public Transit

Iowa City6.7%
Harrisonburg1.3%

Bicycle

Iowa City3.1%
Harrisonburg1.9%

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Harrisonburg8.6%

Airports

Iowa City0
Harrisonburg0

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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