Iowa City, IA is an amazing place to live with a great population and excellent health care facilities. The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, the Mercy Iowa City Hospital, and the VA are all located in Iowa City providing medical services to the community. As a result, residents of Iowa City have access to quality healthcare backed by research and experience in treating a wide variety of conditions. Furthermore, the city itself is very dedicated to health awareness and often partners with local organizations to host educational events about staying healthy and reducing risk factors for diseases. Through these efforts, Iowa City has become one of the most vibrant cities in terms of health and wellness.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 605 physicians per 100,000 population in Iowa City. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Iowa City area is 121.6 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
121.6 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Iowa City area is 73 (100=best). The US average is 55.
73 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Iowa City area is 97 (100=best). The US average is 87.
97 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Iowa City commutes 17.1 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Iowa City area is 64 (100=best). The US average is 58.
64 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.