Aerial View of the Des Moine Suburb of Ankeny, Iowa.

Where People Are Moving To In Iowa In 2026

Iowa's growth is landing on the metro edges where new housing, schools, and jobs sit close enough to make a move practical. The state passed 3.24 million residents in 2025 and most of that gain pooled around the Des Moines metro and the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor. Rural counties are mostly flat or shrinking, so these few fast-building suburbs carry more of the total. The eight places below are where Iowans are moving right now.

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Waukee

Waukee is the most visible growth story in the state right now, pulled west as Dallas County keeps stretching the Des Moines metro outward. The city reached 34,890 residents in 2025, up from 23,941 in 2020, a 45.7% jump in five years. Housing, schools, and access to the western metro drive it, with I-80, Grand Prairie Parkway, and the West Des Moines job market all close by. The Kettlestone corridor gives the growth a center, a 1,500-acre district with a walkable core planned for housing, restaurants, and entertainment. Waukee keeps growing because west-metro demand keeps turning open land into neighborhoods and roads.

Tiffin

Tiffin shows how fast the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor is changing. The city grew to 7,156 residents in 2025 from 4,521 in 2020, a 58.3% increase, the kind of jump that resets a small city's daily feel in a few years. Its location does most of the work, sitting on I-380 between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids with jobs, hospitals, and universities reachable in both directions. Local plans map several mixed-use districts, the largest a 450-acre piece set aside for shopping, dining, and housing. Tiffin adds residents because it sits in the right corridor and still has room to build around the access.

Bondurant

Bondurant has become one of the faster-growing communities on the northeast side of the Des Moines metro. The city reached 9,647 residents in 2025, up from 7,401 in 2020, a 30.3% increase, with a 2024 special census landing at 9,393. Housing and schools anchor it, and its spot between Altoona, Ankeny, and Des Moines keeps it close to I-35, U.S. 65, and the eastern metro job base. Local planning frames Bondurant as a growing suburb with room left around its edges. New subdivisions, the school campus, and commercial growth near the main roads all show the change. Bondurant gains residents because the metro's northeast edge still has space to absorb them.

Ankeny

Ankeny keeps adding residents even after years of heavy expansion. The city reached 77,833 in 2025, up from 68,102 in 2020, a 14.3% increase that is one of Iowa's largest numerical gains this decade. Its appeal is that housing, jobs, schools, retail, and roads all sit inside the same fast-growing suburb, positioned between Des Moines and Ames on I-35. Prairie Trail is the most recognizable piece, a 1,031-acre development with walkable streets, parks, and a housing-and-commercial mix. The growth also shows around The District, Delaware Avenue, and newer neighborhoods on the north and east sides. Ankeny adds residents because it works as a full suburban city, not just an edge of Des Moines.

Norwalk

Norwalk gives the metro a south-side growth story with room left for new housing. The city rose to 15,004 residents in 2025 from 12,797 in 2020, a 17.2% increase that is sizable for a place still smaller than the big western and northern suburbs. Location and land drive it, with Norwalk sitting south of Des Moines near Highway 28 and Highway 5 on the Warren County side of the metro. That puts downtown Des Moines, West Des Moines, and regional job centers within reach without the congestion. The growth shows in newer subdivisions, school demand, and commercial strips along the main roads. Norwalk grows because south-metro households are finding newer homes without moving far from the job base.

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Altoona

Altoona reflects how thoroughly the east side of the Des Moines metro has filled in. The city reached about 22,800 residents in 2025, up from 19,666 in 2020, a 15.9% increase. It has more than one growth driver, sitting near I-80 and U.S. 65 with Adventureland, Prairie Meadows, the Outlets of Des Moines, and local industry keeping the daytime economy busy. Local leaders expected a 2025 special census to add at least 3,500 residents, a sign of growth already on the ground. New housing, retail along Eighth Street SW, and development near the highway show how far Altoona has moved past being a pass-through suburb.

Grimes

Grimes is filling in as northwest-metro demand pushes through Polk and Dallas counties. A 2025 special census put the city at 17,809 residents, up from 15,392 in 2020, a 15.7% increase. Housing tells the clearest version of the story, with the home count rising to 7,578 from 5,708 over the same span, a 32.7% jump. The city sits near Highway 141 with quick access to Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee, and the western Des Moines job market. The growth shows around newer subdivisions, commercial corridors, and the city's own infrastructure planning. Grimes adds residents because homes are going up quickly where the metro still has room to spread.

North Liberty

North Liberty remains one of Johnson County's main growth points. The city reached 21,976 residents in 2025, up from 20,482 in 2020, a 7.3% increase, smaller than Tiffin's or Waukee's leaps but steady in one of Iowa's busiest corridors. Its growth ties to the spot between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, with University of Iowa jobs, healthcare, schools, and I-380 all within reach. Road and park projects show the city planning around that role, from Ranshaw Way to Centennial Park to a rebuilt interchange, with a major road project set for construction in 2026. The growth shows around Penn Street, new apartments, and neighborhoods spreading toward Tiffin. North Liberty keeps gaining residents because it sits in one of Iowa's most connected commuter corridors.

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Where Iowa's Growth Is Heading

Iowa's growth is not spread evenly. The Des Moines metro absorbs most of it through Waukee, Ankeny, Bondurant, Norwalk, Altoona, and Grimes, while the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids corridor adds residents through Tiffin and North Liberty. With many rural counties flat or shrinking, these suburbs and corridor cities carry more of the state's total gain. The next few years will press on roads, schools, housing, and city services in places growing faster than their older infrastructure was built to handle.

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