Iowa has 62 designated opportunity zones, including 61 low-income communities, plus 1 non-low-income contiguous tract.
Urban vs. Rural
Statewide, Iowa has nearly as many rural census tracts as they have urban ones. When selecting their opportunity zones, Iowa gave some preference to their rural areas, as 58 percent of the state’s opportunity zones are rural, compared to 42 percent in urban areas.
Iowa Opportunity Zones Map
Analysis of Iowa’s Opportunity Zones
| Characteristics | Designated Opportunity Zones | Eligible, nondesignated | All state tracts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descriptives (N) | |||
| Total number of tracts | 62 | 348 | 825 |
| Low-income communities | 61 | 186 | 247 |
| Contiguous | 1 | 162 | 163 |
| Economic (average or average %) | |||
| Median household income | $36,666 | $46,624 | $54,269 |
| Poverty rate | 23.89% | 16.82% | 13.08% |
| Unemployment rate | 7.41% | 5.90% | 4.81% |
| Housing (average or average %) | |||
| Median home value | $86,110 | $108,533 | $127,798 |
| Median rent/month | $636 | $679 | $699 |
| Homeownership | 54.50% | 66.41% | 71.15% |
| Severe rent burden | 21.91% | 20.04% | 17.81% |
| Vacancy rate | 12.06% | 9.94% | 9.22% |
| Demographic (average %) | |||
| White alone | 76.77% | 83.48% | 87.33% |
| Black alone | 7.46% | 4.95% | 3.37% |
| Hispanic | 10.52% | 7.01% | 5.45% |
| Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders alone | 2.46% | 2.28% | 1.84% |
| Younger than 18 | 23.52% | 22.48% | 23.06% |
| Older than 64 | 14.96% | 15.95% | 16.61% |
| Education (average %) | |||
| Age 25+ with high school degree or less | 51.07% | 46.28% | 42.50% |
| Age 25+ with bachelor’s degree or higher | 17.34% | 21.13% | 24.69% |
| Socioeconomic change flag (%) | 0.00% | 0.57% | 0.24% |
| Geography (%) | |||
| In a metro area | 41.94% | 53.16% | 52.36% |
| In a micro area | 25.81% | 15.52% | 18.06% |
| Non-core-based statistical area (not in a metro nor micro area) | 32.26% | 31.32% | 29.58% |
Data Source: Urban Institute
Iowa Counties & Cities
List of counties in Iowa: Adair, Adams, Allamakee, Appanoose, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clarke, Clay, Clayton, Clinton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Delaware, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Lee, Linn, Louisa, Lucas, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marion, Marshall, Mills, Mitchell, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscatine, O’Brien, Osceola, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, Sac, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, Worth, Wright
List of top 150 U.S. cities located in Iowa: Des Moines, Cedar Rapids
Census tracts designated as opportunity zones in Iowa
Website: Iowa Economic Development Authority
| State | County | Census Tract Number | Tract Type | ACS Data Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | Appanoose | 19007950100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Appanoose | 19007950300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Benton | 19011960300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Black Hawk | 19013000100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Black Hawk | 19013000700 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Black Hawk | 19013001000 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Buena Vista | 19021960400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Calhoun | 19025950200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Cass | 19029190200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Cass | 19029190500 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Cerro Gordo | 19033950300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Cherokee | 19035080100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Clinton | 19045000100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Clinton | 19045000300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Crawford | 19047070400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Dallas | 19049050400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Davis | 19051080200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Decatur | 19053960200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Decatur | 19053960300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 19057000200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 19057000300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Des Moines | 19057000400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Dubuque | 19061000100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Dubuque | 19061000500 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Emmet | 19063070300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Floyd | 19067480400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Hamilton | 19079960300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Ida | 19093090300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Jackson | 19097950600 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Johnson | 19103000200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Johnson | 19103000302 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Johnson | 19103001400 | Non-LIC Contiguous | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Johnson | 19103001700 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Lee | 19111490200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Lee | 19111490800 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Lee | 19111490900 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Linn | 19113001900 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Linn | 19113002200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Linn | 19113002700 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Lucas | 19117950300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Madison | 19121060200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Marshall | 19127950900 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Muscatine | 19139050700 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Muscatine | 19139051000 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Page | 19145490200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Plymouth | 19149970200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Pocahontas | 19151780100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Polk | 19153001100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Polk | 19153002600 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Polk | 19153011001 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Pottawattamie | 19155030900 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Pottawattamie | 19155031300 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Poweshiek | 19157370400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Scott | 19163010600 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Scott | 19163010900 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Shelby | 19165960400 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Union | 19175190200 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Webster | 19187000700 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Woodbury | 19193000100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Woodbury | 19193001500 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Woodbury | 19193003600 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |
| Iowa | Worth | 19195690100 | Low-Income Community | 2011-2015 |