Rome, Iowa

2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026

ALMANAC
Read it as a page
  1. Population

    Down 2.6% since 2020.

    111

    people, the 804th-largest of Iowa's cities and towns.

    Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Iowa's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

  2. The workday

    Every job here goes to someone who lives somewhere else.

    100.0%

    of 3 jobs located in Rome are filled by in-commuters.

    Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

  3. Rent

    Median rent is up 117% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

    $1,031

    a month. Iowa's median is $972.

    Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

  4. The seam

    Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $193.

    A $193 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Henry County.

    • $694 Tract 9702
    • $887 Tract 9704

    Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

  5. Room to build

    The median rent is above what local wages can carry.

    $281–$422

    is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

    • $1,031 median

    Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

  6. Building

    Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

    • 88% of all homes were built before 2000

    Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

  7. Units needed

    None of three estimates finds a housing shortfall here.

    0

    is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

    Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

  8. Home value

    A median home costs 69% less than Iowa's.

    $65,000

    median home value in Rome.

    • $65,000 Rome
    • $208,000 Iowa
    • $332,700 U.S.

    Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Survey estimates for a place this size carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

More from here