Sioux City, IA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Iowa·Sioux City

Woodbury County · Sioux City · population 86,875

First-time buyers
Sioux City, IA
Image: Wikipedia · Sioux City, Iowa
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
68
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Sioux City stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $200,366
1-year +2.7%
5-yr CAGR +5.3%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$200k$101k$136k$172k$208k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
30/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,152/mo$946$1,086$1,22720242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11111310020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.5
Buy

At a 14.5 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Sioux City on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.5 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
63 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
66 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
51 · w16%
Rent YoY
67 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
70 · w10%
Long thesis

Sioux City has held up across the cycle: home values at $200,366 with +5.3% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Sioux City's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Sioux City

Sioux City is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, with an estimated population of 86,875. The median home value in Sioux City is $200,366 as of 2026-04, up 2.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.3% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Sioux City average $1,152 per month, up 3.2% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 68 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $200,366 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.3% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +2.7% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Sioux City (Wikipedia)

Sioux City is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 86,875 in 2024, making it the fourth-most populous city in Iowa. The county seat of Woodbury County, Sioux City is the primary city of the five-county Sioux City metropolitan area, which had 144,334 residents on the 2020 census. Sioux City and the surrounding areas of northwestern Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota are sometimes referred to collectively as Siouxland.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorJulie Schoenherr
Area60.556 sq mi
Elevation1102 ft
Founded1854
Densityauto/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Woodbury County right now.

NWS active alerts (IA)Iowa Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Woodbury County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Sioux City

Cedar Rapids, IA67 · RisingCedar Falls, IA67 · RisingMarion, IA70 · RisingCouncil Bluffs, IA65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Sioux City

ToolCan I afford Sioux City?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Sioux City rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Sioux City to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolSioux City cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
28° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
84° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
36″ rain
30″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Sioux City listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Sioux City area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$70,500
Iowa state median
Top industries (state-level)
InsuranceManufacturingAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Sioux City

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