Population

Iowa City

75,264

Normal

52,908

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

Normal

$66,350

Home Value

Iowa City

$273,600

Normal

$199,900

Rent

Iowa City

$1,094

Normal

$974

Crime Rate

Iowa City

3.21

Normal

3.29

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

Normal

107.9

Avg Temp

Iowa City

N/A

Normal

N/A

Unemployment

Iowa City

4.2%

Normal

4.2%

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How Similar Are Iowa City & Normal?

Normal is Iowa City's #5 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Iowa City

75,264

vs

Normal

52,908

Different · 30% difference

Iowa City has a 30% larger population than Normal.

Violent Crime

Iowa City

3.21

vs

Normal

3.29

Match · 2% difference
🚨

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

Property Crime

🔒

Iowa City

16.74

vs

Normal

15.50

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.

Political Leaning

Iowa City

30.3%

vs

Normal

46.8%

Different · 35% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Normal has a stronger Democratic lean (35% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Iowa City

4.2%

vs

Normal

4.2%

Match · 0% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 0% difference.

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

vs

Normal

$66,350

Different · 13% difference
💰

Normal has a 13% higher median income than Iowa City.

Home Values

🏠

Iowa City

$273,600

vs

Normal

$199,900

Different · 27% difference

Iowa City has a 27% higher home values than Normal.

Education

Iowa City

31.7%

vs

Normal

26.4%

Different · 17% difference
🎓

Iowa City has a 17% higher education than Normal.

Demographics

🌍

Iowa City

75.1%

vs

Normal

78.8%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

vs

Normal

107.9

Match · 0% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.

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

At a Glance

0

Iowa City

vsof 8

0

Normal

Cost of Living & Affordability — Iowa City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Iowa City scores 78.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 101.4 in Normal. Normal scores 119.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 139.6 in Iowa City. Iowa City has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,141 vs $1,302 in Normal (12% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Iowa City107.8
Normal107.9

Housing Index

Iowa City139.6
Normal119.7

Food Index

Iowa City94.0
Normal100.7

Transportation Index

Iowa City78.2
Normal101.4

Healthcare Index

Iowa City95.2
Normal100.6

Utilities Index

Iowa City104.3
Normal104.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Iowa City$47,436
Normal$47,482

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Iowa City$112,122
Normal$112,230

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Iowa City$961
Normal$999

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Iowa City$1,141
Normal$1,302

Housing Market — Normal leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a median home value of $273,600 vs $199,900 in Normal (37% higher). Normal has a owner-occupied of 55.2% compared to 46.3% in Iowa City. Normal has a median rent of $974 vs $1,094 in Iowa City (12% lower).

Median Home Value

Iowa City$273,600
Normal$199,900

Median Rent

Iowa City$1,094
Normal$974

Median Property Tax

Iowa City$4,765
Normal$4,729

Owner-Occupied

Iowa City46.3%
Normal55.2%

Vacancy Rate

Iowa City9.1%
Normal9.6%

Single-Family Homes

Iowa City49.8%
Normal53.7%

Jobs & Economy — Normal leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City: 45,100 vs Normal: 28,028 for labor force. Normal has a poverty rate of 21.5% compared to 26.3% in Iowa City. Normal has a government sector of 37.6% compared to 31.9% in Iowa City.

Median Household Income

Iowa City$57,533
Normal$66,350

Per Capita Income

Iowa City$37,123
Normal$35,574

Poverty Rate

Iowa City26.3%
Normal21.5%

Unemployment Rate

Iowa City4.2%
Normal4.2%

Labor Force

Iowa City45,100
Normal28,028

Mean Commute

Iowa City16 min
NormalN/A

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Normal12.4%

Private Sector

Iowa City78.0%
Normal82.0%

Government Sector

Iowa City31.9%
Normal37.6%

Crime & Safety — Normal leads

Source: FBI UCR

Normal has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.15 compared to 0.50 in Iowa City. Iowa City has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.04 in Normal. Iowa City has a violent crime clearance of 52.0% compared to 29.5% in Normal.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City3.21
Normal3.29

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City16.74
Normal15.50

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.00
Normal0.04

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.50
Normal0.15

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City2.17
Normal2.15

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City1.57
Normal2.32

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City13.89
Normal12.33

Violent Crime Clearance

Iowa City52.0%
Normal29.5%

Property Crime Clearance

Iowa City21.9%
Normal26.0%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Avg Annual High

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Avg Annual Low

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Annual Rainfall

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Annual Snowfall

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Avg Humidity

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/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 26.4% in Normal. Iowa City has a high school diploma or higher of 38.9% compared to 36.3% in Normal.

Public Schools

Iowa City0
Normal0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Iowa CityN/A
NormalN/A

Colleges & Universities

Iowa City0
Normal0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Iowa City31.7%
Normal26.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Iowa City38.9%
Normal36.3%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a population of 75,264, about 1.4x the size of Normal (52,908). Normal skews younger with a median age of 25.2 vs 26.3.

Population

Iowa City75,264
Normal52,908

Median Age

Iowa City26
Normal25

Avg Household Size

Iowa City2.2
Normal2.3

Married Population

Iowa City28.9%
Normal29.9%

Foreign Born

Iowa City12.2%
Normal7.3%

White

Iowa City75.1%
Normal78.8%

Black

Iowa City8.4%
Normal11.5%

Hispanic

Iowa City8.1%
Normal7.0%

Asian

Iowa City6.8%
Normal4.0%

Iowa City

Normal

Healthcare — Iowa City leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Iowa City: 3.6 vs Normal: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Iowa City5
Normal5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Iowa City3.6
Normal2.0

With Emergency Services

Iowa City5
Normal5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a bicycle of 3.1% compared to 0.5% in Normal. Iowa City has a public transit of 6.7% compared to 1.4% in Normal. Normal has a drive alone of 70.8% compared to 56.0% in Iowa City.

Mean Commute Time

Iowa City16 min
NormalN/A

Drive Alone

Iowa City56.0%
Normal70.8%

Public Transit

Iowa City6.7%
Normal1.4%

Bicycle

Iowa City3.1%
Normal0.5%

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Normal12.4%

Airports

Iowa City0
Normal0

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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