The top markets for residential assisted living in Iowa, ranked by demand versus supply — plus the cities where the homes are.
RAL Market Scout's opportunity score blends 75+ demand and projected senior growth against current bed supply — a saturated market is scored down even when demand is high. Higher means more room for a new small home.
| County | Pop 75+ | Demand | Homes | Market | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk | 27,261 | 5.4 | 56 | 9.5 | Strong |
| Johnson | 8,275 | 6.1 | 18 | 9.3 | Strong |
| Scott | 12,407 | 4.2 | 23 | 9.2 | Strong |
| Pottawattamie | 6,861 | 3.4 | 13 | 9.2 | Strong |
| Black Hawk | 9,419 | 3.4 | 12 | 9.1 | Strong |
| Dubuque | 8,179 | 3.6 | 12 | 8.9 | Strong |
| Woodbury | 6,547 | 3.2 | 11 | 8.9 | Strong |
| Dallas | 5,838 | 6.5 | 17 | 8.9 | Strong |
| Story | 5,392 | 4.1 | 14 | 8.9 | Strong |
| Linn | 16,731 | 5.4 | 35 | 8.7 | Strong |
| Jefferson | 1,501 | 5.6 | 2 | 8.4 | Strong |
| Cerro Gordo | 4,216 | 3.4 | 8 | 8.3 | Strong |
| Warren | 3,785 | 5.9 | 9 | 8.2 | Strong |
| Muscatine | 3,055 | 4.3 | 5 | 8.2 | Strong |
| Mills | 1,128 | 4.6 | 1 | 8.1 | Strong |
| Clinton | 3,944 | 2.4 | 9 | 8.1 | Strong |
| Des Moines | 3,369 | 2.4 | 6 | 8.0 | Strong |
| Lee | 2,958 | 4.3 | 6 | 8.0 | Strong |
| Boone | 2,021 | 4.4 | 5 | 7.8 | Strong |
| Jasper | 3,276 | 3.1 | 4 | 7.8 | Strong |
| Poweshiek | 1,814 | 3.8 | 4 | 7.7 | Strong |
| Marshall | 2,947 | 2.8 | 6 | 7.7 | Strong |
| Dickinson | 2,180 | 5.0 | 4 | 7.7 | Strong |
| Benton | 2,245 | 3.2 | 4 | 7.7 | Strong |
| Winneshiek | 1,938 | 2.9 | 4 | 7.7 | Strong |
| Marion | 2,948 | 5.3 | 5 | 7.6 | Strong |
| Appanoose | 1,251 | 3.5 | 2 | 7.6 | Strong |
| Madison | 1,157 | 2.6 | 0 | 7.5 | Strong |
| Wapello | 2,586 | 2.8 | 5 | 7.5 | Strong |
| Buchanan | 1,560 | 2.2 | 2 | 7.4 | Strong |
| Webster | 3,204 | 3.7 | 4 | 7.4 | Strong |
| Jones | 1,875 | 2.8 | 5 | 7.4 | Strong |
| Cedar | 1,627 | 2.8 | 3 | 7.4 | Strong |
| Mahaska | 1,777 | 3.0 | 2 | 7.3 | Strong |
| Sioux | 2,706 | 3.6 | 10 | 7.3 | Strong |
| Henry | 1,792 | 4.9 | 3 | 7.2 | Strong |
| Plymouth | 2,146 | 2.4 | 9 | 7.2 | Strong |
| Hancock | 1,124 | 4.1 | 2 | 7.2 | Strong |
| Jackson | 1,779 | 2.8 | 3 | 7.2 | Strong |
| Bremer | 2,312 | 3.8 | 5 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Buena Vista | 1,345 | 1.4 | 2 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Chickasaw | 1,177 | 2.8 | 4 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Lyon | 1,030 | 2.4 | 1 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Iowa | 1,403 | 2.8 | 4 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Washington | 2,019 | 3.6 | 4 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Tama | 1,456 | 2.4 | 3 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Union | 1,097 | 3.2 | 4 | 7.1 | Strong |
| Clay | 1,611 | 2.4 | 2 | 7.0 | Strong |
| Hamilton | 1,422 | 2.8 | 2 | 7.0 | Strong |
| Allamakee | 1,375 | 2.6 | 3 | 7.0 | Strong |
| Cass | 1,348 | 2.8 | 2 | 7.0 | Strong |
| Fayette | 1,972 | 3.2 | 6 | 7.0 | Strong |
| Guthrie | 1,068 | 3.1 | 3 | 6.9 | Moderate |
| Floyd | 1,554 | 2.8 | 4 | 6.9 | Moderate |
| Butler | 1,466 | 3.2 | 5 | 6.9 | Moderate |
| Harrison | 1,238 | 2.8 | 2 | 6.8 | Moderate |
| Montgomery | 1,008 | 4.8 | 2 | 6.8 | Moderate |
| Sac | 1,015 | 2.4 | 2 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Wright | 1,215 | 3.4 | 4 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Kossuth | 1,736 | 2.6 | 3 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Crawford | 1,282 | 2.4 | 2 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Cherokee | 1,314 | 3.6 | 3 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Mitchell | 1,073 | 3.2 | 3 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Hardin | 1,718 | 2.8 | 1 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Carroll | 1,933 | 3.2 | 5 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Grundy | 1,165 | 3.4 | 4 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Clayton | 1,812 | 2.6 | 8 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| Page | 1,605 | 4.0 | 2 | 6.5 | Moderate |
| O'Brien | 1,382 | 3.4 | 3 | 6.3 | Moderate |
| Shelby | 1,275 | 2.9 | 3 | 6.2 | Moderate |
| Calhoun | 1,020 | 3.2 | 1 | 6.1 | Moderate |
| Delaware | 1,603 | 4.1 | 3 | 6.0 | Moderate |
| Monona | 986 | 3.0 | 2 | — | — |
| Humboldt | 915 | 4.1 | 1 | — | — |
| Greene | 979 | 4.9 | 1 | — | — |
| Winnebago | 994 | 4.1 | 2 | — | — |
| Louisa | 924 | 3.4 | 1 | — | — |
| Taylor | 620 | 4.1 | 1 | — | — |
| Audubon | 655 | 2.6 | 1 | — | — |
| Keokuk | 959 | 3.4 | 2 | — | — |
| Emmet | 915 | 2.8 | 2 | — | — |
| Franklin | 910 | 3.8 | 4 | — | — |
| Palo Alto | 871 | 3.8 | 6 | — | — |
| Howard | 851 | 2.9 | 3 | — | — |
| Lucas | 801 | 3.2 | 2 | — | — |
| Adair | 772 | 3.4 | 2 | — | — |
| Pocahontas | 758 | 2.8 | 1 | — | — |
| Decatur | 745 | 2.6 | 1 | — | — |
| Clarke | 741 | 3.8 | 2 | — | — |
| Van Buren | 710 | 4.5 | 1 | — | — |
| Davis | 695 | 3.1 | 1 | — | — |
| Ida | 675 | 3.8 | 4 | — | — |
| Wayne | 665 | 2.8 | 1 | — | — |
| Monroe | 661 | 3.5 | 2 | — | — |
| Osceola | 645 | 3.1 | 1 | — | — |
| Fremont | 635 | 2.8 | 0 | — | — |
| Ringgold | 481 | 3.4 | 3 | — | — |
| Adams | 411 | 3.9 | 0 | — | — |
| Worth | 728 | 4.1 | 1 | — | — |
Where the homes actually are. Each linked city has its own page with local supply and market context.
| City | County | Homes | Beds | Avg size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids | Linn | 25 | 0 | — |
| Des Moines | Polk | 19 | 0 | — |
| Davenport | Scott | 15 | 0 | — |
| Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie | 11 | 0 | — |
| Sioux City | Woodbury | 10 | 0 | — |
| Ames | Story | 10 | 0 | — |
| West Des Moines | Polk | 9 | 0 | — |
| Dubuque | Dubuque | 9 | 0 | — |
| Ankeny | Polk | 9 | 0 | — |
| Urbandale | Polk | 8 | 0 | — |
| Iowa City | Johnson | 8 | 0 | — |
| Cedar Falls | Black Hawk | 8 | 0 | — |
| Marion | Linn | 7 | 0 | — |
| Marshalltown | Marshall | 6 | 0 | — |
| Mason City | Cerro Gordo | 6 | 0 | — |
| Lemars | Plymouth | 6 | 0 | — |
| Fort Madison | Lee | 5 | 0 | — |
| Coralville | Johnson | 5 | 0 | — |
| Ottumwa | Wapello | 5 | 0 | — |
| Burlington | Des Moines | 5 | 0 | — |
RAL Market Scout scores every county and ZIP in Iowa on demand, supply gaps, and referral capacity — and builds a site-level report for any address you're evaluating.