City limitsPlace boundary

Curated city comparison

Iowa CityBloomington

Midwestern university-market alternatives of similar scale whose yield, affordability, renter pressure, housing stock and demand evidence diverge materially.

Iowa City, IA city briefBloomington, IL city brief

Decision memo

The trade-off before property underwriting

The interpretation uses direct city records only. County and metro averages are not substituted into this comparison.

Bloomington, IL better fits immediate cash-flow and entry-affordability screening. Its Zillow gross yield is 6.05% versus 5.14% in Iowa City, IA, while its Zillow home-value index is $271,396 versus $305,697. Bloomington also combines faster rent growth, at 5.54%, with a lower price-to-income measure of 3.51. Underwriting should next test whether achievable unit rent, taxes, insurance and deferred maintenance preserve that headline advantage.

Iowa City better fits renter-pressure screening, but the signal is mixed rather than automatically investable. Renters represent 52.80% of households, compared with 38.07% in Bloomington, and 61.88% of Iowa City renters are burdened. Yet Iowa City’s vacancy rate is also higher at 9.00%. Verify block-level leasing velocity, concessions and tenant turnover before treating its deeper renter base as stronger property demand.

Housing-stock fit depends on strategy. Bloomington’s 60.93% single-family share favors conventional houses, whereas Iowa City’s 20.15% large-multifamily share provides a broader apartment context. For local demand, Bloomington has the cleaner risk profile: unemployment is 2.75% versus 4.64%, and its overlapping-vintage population change is 1.14% versus 1.07%. Property-level underwriting should prioritize neighborhood employment access, competing supply, lease files and physical condition rather than extrapolating citywide averages.

Direct city matrix

The same definition on both sides

“n/a” remains missing. Zillow indexes and ACS survey measures stay visibly separate.

Decision evidence	Iowa City, IA	Bloomington, IL
Typical home valueZillow ZHVI · city	$305,697	$271,396
Observed market rentZillow ZORI · city	$1,308	$1,368
Gross yieldZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI · before costs	5.1%	6.0%
Price to household incomeZillow value ÷ ACS income	5.22x	3.51x
Annual rent to incomeZillow rent × 12 ÷ ACS income	26.8%	21.2%
Rent burdenACS renter households paying 30%+	61.9%	38.4%
Renter shareACS occupied housing	52.8%	38.1%
Vacancy rateACS all housing units	9.0%	6.1%
Population changebetween ACS vintages · not annualized	▲ 1.1%	▲ 1.1%
UnemploymentACS civilian labor force	4.6%	2.7%

Entry and income screen

Price, rent and yield do not tell the same story

Bars begin at zero within each measure. Gross yield remains a before-cost screen.

Zillow city ZHVI and ZORI · 2026-06 / 2026-06

Price and rent history

Two city paths, each rebased to 100

Each panel keeps price and rent in its own city; no level is borrowed across geographies.

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +25.9%ZORI +24.6%

Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +41.1%ZORI +50.7%

Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.

Fit by objective

There is no universal city winner

Five city questions remain separate so a yield lead cannot erase affordability or demand risk.

Cash-flow screenBloomington

Bloomington, IL better fits cash-flow screening because its gross yield is 6.05%, versus 5.14% for Iowa City, IA. Bloomington’s Zillow rent index is also $1,368, above Iowa City’s $1,308. This is only a gross relationship between Zillow rent and value indexes, not a property return. Next, underwrite actual asking rent, vacancy, management, repairs, taxes, insurance, utilities, financing and capital work for each candidate.

Entry affordabilityBloomington

Bloomington, IL better fits entry affordability: its Zillow home-value index is $271,396, compared with $305,697 in Iowa City, IA. Its price-to-income measure is also lower at 3.51 versus 5.22. ACS surveyed median home value answers a different question and should not be treated as a competing appraisal. Confirm acquisition price, closing costs, immediate repairs and neighborhood-specific resale evidence before advancing a property.

Renter pressureIowa City

Iowa City, IA better fits renter-pressure screening, with a 52.80% renter share and 61.88% rent-burden rate, versus 38.07% and 38.38% in Bloomington, IL. However, Iowa City also has a 9.00% vacancy rate, compared with 6.11% in Bloomington, so renter depth does not establish tight occupancy. Check nearby listings, concessions, days vacant, renewal rates and the subject property’s tenant ledger.

Housing stockDepends on the property

Fit depends on asset type. Bloomington, IL has a 60.93% single-family share, versus 48.74% in Iowa City, IA, supporting a broader context for house-oriented acquisitions. Iowa City has a 20.15% large-multifamily share, compared with 7.79% in Bloomington, making it more relevant for apartment competition and comparables. Both cities’ median construction years are similar—1985 and 1982—so inspect systems, deferred maintenance and renovation history directly.

Local demand riskBloomington

Bloomington, IL better fits local-demand risk screening. Its population is 78,907 and its overlapping-ACS-vintage population change is 1.14%, versus 75,752 and 1.07% in Iowa City, IA. Bloomington also shows 2.75% unemployment, below Iowa City’s 4.64%. The population changes are not annualized, and citywide labor indicators cannot establish neighborhood absorption. Verify major-employer exposure, commuting access, tenant sources and current leasing traffic.

Household pressure

Acquisition and renter affordability

Zillow city indexes divided by direct ACS city household measures.

Housing system

Tenure, vacancy and structure

ACS citywide housing characteristics; not rentable inventory or lease-up speed.

Underwriting boundary

What this city comparison cannot decide

City evidence narrows a search; it does not appraise, inspect or finance a property.

01
The Zillow indexes are city-level market measures, not quotes for a particular building. Actual rent, purchase price, concessions and property condition may differ materially; parcel-level comparables and lease evidence are required before underwriting.
02
Gross yield excludes vacancy, management, repairs, taxes, insurance, utilities, financing and capital work. Bloomington’s stronger headline yield may narrow or reverse after property-specific operating expenses and near-term replacements are identified.
03
ACS measures are survey estimates from overlapping five-year vintages. Population change is not annualized, while ACS median rent and value describe surveyed housing and must not be used as competing appraisals for the Zillow indexes.

Figure-level provenance

The direct sources behind both records

Release period and retrieval date remain separate. Open either city brief for its complete geography ledger.

Census ACS 5-year — city population, households and housingACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-29 Census ACS 5-year — cities and communitiesACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-30 Zillow ZHVI — city home valueszillow_zhvi_city.csvPulled 2026-07-29 Zillow ZORI — city market rentszillow_zori_city.csvPulled 2026-07-29

Iowa City, IAOpen the complete city brief75,752 residents in the current ACS record Bloomington, ILOpen the complete city brief78,907 residents in the current ACS record Property testStress-test the same assumptionsReplace city averages with an actual deal