What it's like to live in Dubuque
Dubuque is a smaller city in Iowa with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Dubuque deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, cold, harsh winters, and snowy winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 36" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Dubuque compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Dubuque
Based on Dubuque's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,896
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $37,920 a year
- 46% of Dubuque renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$40,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $20,480
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 33% below US
$948/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $948 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $204,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $204,800 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 19% below US
3.5% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.5%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 23% above US
405 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1528/100k · Dubuque Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 44% below US
15 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 14.6 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 14°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.0 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
34% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 34% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
17 public schools inside the boundary
There are 17 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Effigy Mounds National Monument (47 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Dubuque's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($948/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive and anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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