Hunter
03/25/26
A new report from a conservative-leaning national research firm ranks Iowa as the most affordable state in the country.
The Gazette reports Common Sense Institute ranked all states by the share of residents’ personal income left after taxes and regular expenses for shelter, utilities, groceries, health and car insurance, gasoline and child care.
According to their research, Common Sense Institute says Iowans on average retain 34.7 percent of their income after paying those expenses and their taxes. That’s just ahead of South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska.
The report also says that Iowans are retaining almost 4 percent more of their incomes than they did prior to the pandemic.
The most expensive states to live in were Hawaii, California and Massachusetts.
Sean Finn is a state policy analyst for the progressive-leaning Common Good Iowa research firm. He agrees that Iowa is more affordable than many other states, but said a report saying that Iowans have over a third of their income left over after paying for essentials isn’t going to resonate with the average resident.
The report says the national average is 24.7 percent.
A link to the full report can be found below.