Cities collect over 29 percent of all property taxes statewide.
How do your taxes compare with other cities?
Using information from the Iowa Department of Management and the U.S. Census Bureau, TEF created scorecards by looking at the change in three measurements from Fiscal Year 2016 to Fiscal Year 2017.
Scoring was as follows for each category:
These scorecards are meant to provide objective data that is consistent among taxing authorities. TEF did not investigate the reason for a city’s rate or revenue change; circumstances vary from location to location.
The default table is sorted by total points and then alphabetically.
| City | $ Change in Property Tax Rate | Property Tax Revenue growth compared to inflation + population growth | $ Change in property tax revenue per resident | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah | -0.67252 | -10.40% | -43.11 | 3 |
| Dyersville | -0.50804 | -6.80% | -24.13 | 3 |
| Adel | -0.21022 | -6.90% | -19.31 | 3 |
| Centerville | -0.00461 | -4.40% | -9.74 | 3 |
| Fort Madison | -0.1655 | -2.80% | -2.52 | 3 |
| Grinnell | 0 | -7.70% | -23.6 | 2 |
| Oelwein | 0 | -7.70% | -22.47 | 2 |
| Hiawatha | 0 | -2.90% | -5.94 | 2 |
| Glenwood | 0 | -3.60% | -5.37 | 2 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | -3.40% | -4.78 | 2 |
| Indianola | 0 | -2.70% | -2.17 | 2 |
| Waukee | 0 | -1.50% | -1.39 | 2 |
| Cedar Rapids | 0 | -2.10% | -0.08 | 2 |
| Forest City | 1.16256 | -157.50% | -870.13 | 1 |
| Oskaloosa | 0.14225 | -6.00% | -15.28 | 1 |
| Chariton | 0.13014 | -2.80% | -2.77 | 1 |
| Cedar Falls | -0.30829 | -1.40% | 2.99 | 1 |
| Winterset | -0.0262 | -1.10% | 4.33 | 1 |
| Charles City | -0.04346 | -1.10% | 4.95 | 1 |
| Waterloo | -0.15848 | -0.90% | 7.01 | 1 |
| Camanche | -0.12575 | -0.40% | 7.14 | 1 |
| Clinton | -0.12588 | -0.70% | 8.18 | 1 |
| Osceola | -0.37892 | -0.10% | 9.08 | 1 |
| Johnston | -0.10054 | -0.20% | 10.24 | 1 |
| Clarinda | 0 | -1.70% | 1.68 | 0 |
| Davenport | 0 | -1.80% | 1.92 | 0 |
| Vinton | 0 | -1.10% | 4.51 | 0 |
| Burlington | 0 | -1.00% | 4.52 | 0 |
| Independence | 0 | -0.80% | 5 | 0 |
| Carroll | 0 | -1.00% | 6.29 | 0 |
| Fort Dodge | -0.52236 | 0.00% | 11.27 | 0 |
| Humboldt | 0.069 | -1.20% | 4.77 | -1 |
| Keokuk | 0.30684 | -0.90% | 5.19 | -1 |
| Marion | 0.23483 | -0.50% | 6.78 | -1 |
| Maquoketa | 0.52577 | -0.40% | 7.06 | -1 |
| Bondurant | -0.05005 | 1.70% | 8.5 | -1 |
| Mason City | 0.19469 | -0.40% | 8.73 | -1 |
| Ames | -0.2561 | 0.60% | 10.13 | -1 |
| Jefferson | -0.03715 | 0.30% | 10.86 | -1 |
| Webster City | -0.13313 | 1.30% | 15.35 | -1 |
| Harlan | -0.2153 | 1.50% | 18.95 | -1 |
| Anamosa | -1.13835 | 4.40% | 20.23 | -1 |
| Ankeny | -0.1 | 3.00% | 20.35 | -1 |
| Atlantic | -0.06611 | 1.80% | 21.06 | -1 |
| Sioux City | -0.04326 | 4.00% | 27.22 | -1 |
| Fairfield | -0.92605 | 3.30% | 27.55 | -1 |
| Creston | -0.25 | 6.30% | 28.17 | -1 |
| Iowa City | -0.06791 | 2.50% | 31.18 | -1 |
| Eldridge | -0.07976 | 9.30% | 32.87 | -1 |
| Sioux Center | -0.54406 | 7.50% | 35.97 | -1 |
| Clear Lake | -0.49181 | 4.90% | 40.39 | -1 |
| Waverly | -0.02131 | 6.50% | 46.17 | -1 |
| Iowa Falls | -0.78451 | 7.70% | 48.12 | -1 |
| Algona | -0.13957 | 6.80% | 48.76 | -1 |
| Sergeant Bluff | -0.21515 | 11.10% | 49.84 | -1 |
| Norwalk | 0 | 0.40% | 7.77 | -2 |
| Mount Pleasant | 0 | 0.50% | 10.04 | -2 |
| Knoxville | 0 | 0.90% | 12.44 | -2 |
| Altoona | 0 | 2.30% | 12.54 | -2 |
| Boone | 0 | 0.90% | 12.65 | -2 |
| Nevada | 0 | 1.20% | 13.13 | -2 |
| Spirit Lake | 0 | 1.00% | 13.72 | -2 |
| De Witt | 0 | 1.30% | 16.94 | -2 |
| Manchester | 0 | 1.90% | 19.64 | -2 |
| Pella | 0 | 2.90% | 22.49 | -2 |
| Des Moines | 0 | 2.50% | 22.81 | -2 |
| Washington | 0 | 2.90% | 22.98 | -2 |
| Monticello | 0 | 4.80% | 24.08 | -2 |
| Coralville | 0 | 2.30% | 26.88 | -2 |
| Polk City | 0 | 13.00% | 28.73 | -2 |
| Muscatine | 0 | 3.40% | 29.22 | -2 |
| Council Bluffs | 0 | 2.70% | 30.03 | -2 |
| Pleasant Hill | 0 | 6.90% | 32.67 | -2 |
| Bettendorf | 0 | 3.50% | 37.22 | -2 |
| West Des Moines | 0 | 3.40% | 40.95 | -2 |
| North Liberty | 0 | 9.60% | 42.09 | -2 |
| Le Mars | 0 | 9.10% | 48.32 | -2 |
| Spencer | 0 | 9.20% | 51.96 | -2 |
| Le Claire | 0 | 14.00% | 52.93 | -2 |
| Estherville | 0 | 12.90% | 59.8 | -2 |
| Grimes | 0 | 94.80% | 461.11 | -2 |
| Evansdale | 0.42604 | 1.00% | 5.57 | -3 |
| Denison | 0.5634 | 0.40% | 9.31 | -3 |
| Hampton | 0.61187 | 1.70% | 12.13 | -3 |
| Red Oak | 0.04467 | 1.60% | 16.28 | -3 |
| Carlisle | 0.01114 | 2.00% | 16.73 | -3 |
| Newton | 0.95 | 2.10% | 19.05 | -3 |
| Windsor Heights | 0.58522 | 1.50% | 22.43 | -3 |
| Dubuque | 0.14149 | 4.30% | 24.93 | -3 |
| Sheldon | 0.18286 | 6.60% | 25.24 | -3 |
| Perry | 0.01611 | 6.70% | 27.99 | -3 |
| Ottumwa | 0.19639 | 3.50% | 28.83 | -3 |
| Urbandale | 0.1 | 3.60% | 29.86 | -3 |
| Asbury | 0.19037 | 11.90% | 34.82 | -3 |
| Cherokee | 0.14681 | 8.20% | 45.71 | -3 |
| Decorah | 0.29211 | 7.40% | 50.57 | -3 |
| Clive | 0.15548 | 5.50% | 52.37 | -3 |
| Storm Lake | 0.98335 | 13.30% | 55.36 | -3 |
| Marshalltown | 0.51901 | 13.50% | 56.06 | -3 |
| Orange City | 0.57641 | 11.20% | 57.73 | -3 |
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