Surprising facts about Iowa
"Every place is going to tell you that they have the best place to practice, they have the best doctors, they have the best hospitals. Everyone is going to claim it, but it is just not true. You start to look at the facts and you find it's all right here in Iowa." - Dr. Lawrence Hutchison, Dubuque
"So once new doctors figure out that you actually have to live and raise a family where you practice, many decide that Iowa is a pretty good place to be." - Dr. Mike Romano, Council Bluffs
Iowa Ranks No. 2 on Happiness Index
Iowa is the second happiest state in the nation according to MainStreet.com's new Happiness Index. The index is based on household income, debt, employment and foreclosures. Happiest Places: 1) Nebraska; 2) Iowa; and 3) Kansas
Quality Care Ranks No. 2 in U.S.
Iowa Ranks No. 2 in the Commonwealth Fund's State Scorecard on Health System Performance. The study assesses states' performance on health care relative to benchmarks for 38 indicators of access, quality, costs and health outcomes. Want to learn more? Go to www.commonwealthfund.org.
ACT Composite Scores in the Top 5
Iowa ranks No. 2 for ACT Composite Scores of states testing 50 percent or more of high school graduates.
Iowa One of the Most Livable States
Iowa is ranked 5th as one of the most livable states in the country according to CQ Press (2008). The ranking is based on 44 categories including crime, sunny days, median household income and infant mortality.
Low Cost of Business
Iowa is a great place to start a practice. Iowa ranks in the bottom quartile of the cost of doing business state rankings according to the Milken Institute. Iowa ranked 48th out of 51 (1=highest cost of doing business).
Iowa Ranked No. 4 in Well-Being
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index and the AHIP State and Congressional District Resource for Well-Being, Iowa is the No. 4-ranked state in the country for the well-being of its residents. The ranking is based on emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors and access to basic necessities. Four of the top 10 states were located in the Midwest.
Largest Bike Ride in the World
RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, is the longest, largest and oldest touring bicycle ride in the world. Each year (now nearly 40 years), an estimated 15,000 people ride from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River in one week.
There is a Tee-Time Waiting For You
Iowa ranks No. 2 of states with the most golf courses per capita. Iowa has nearly 13 golf courses for every 100,000 people; Arizona has about five golf courses per 100,000 people.
Source: Sportometrics
There's Room to Move
Iowa has 53 people per square mile; Florida has 340 people per square mile. Source: U.S. Census
One of the Best Places to Raise a Child
Iowa was named the 6th-best place to raise a child by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2009. California was 22; Florida, 36; Georgia, 42; Nevada, 39; and Arizona, 40.
Smart State
Iowa ranks as the 9th smartest U.S. state based on 21 factors. California ranked 47; Arizona, 50; and Nevada, 49.
Source: Morgan Quitno Press, 2006
Short Commutes
Iowa enjoys the 7th-shortest average commute time (18 minutes) among 50 states. Averages for other states include Florida, 25 minutes; California, 27; Arizona, 23. One thing not in the rankings, Iowa commutes have less congestion. Source: U.S. Census