Opportunity

Whether you’re looking for a meaningful career or simply a solid, reliable position with a respected employer, the Mid Iowa region has numerous opportunities in a wide range of fields.

Right now, employers in the region are hiring for on-site and remote positions in industries like advanced manufacturing, logistics, bioscience and healthcare.

COMMUNITY & CULTURE

In Mid Iowa, you can tap into your creative side with more than 80 theatres, museums and art galleries, plus 120 public art installations and dozens of annual festivals and fairs.

We’re also home to hundreds of shops, entertainment attractions and restaurants, serving everything from Iowa’s best steaks to cuisine from the world over.

Old (but good) values, plus exciting new experiences. This is modern small-town living.

FAMILY

In Mid Iowa, families are in the middle of everything they need: outstanding schools, affordable homes in safe neighborhoods, enriching culture, and nearby job opportunities.

Nearly all of our public schools, which are ranked among Iowa’s best, have at least a 90% graduation rate. Plus, our teacher-student ratios are lower than the national average and our average spending per pupil is higher. That means our schools invest more care and more resources in your child’s education.

ADVENTURE

Mid Iowa is home to a beautiful and surprisingly diverse nature scene, with everything from dense woodlands and rolling hills to lakes, rivers, wetlands, bike paths (220 miles of them!) and more.

Hunting trip? Cycling expedition? Paddling down the famous Boone River Trail? Here, adventure is all around.

CONNECTION

It’s good to get away... but it’s even better when you feel like you’re still part of it all. That’s one of the best parts of life in Mid Iowa. You get all the benefits of small-town living – low costs, neighbors you know, a night sky full of stars – but you’re always an hour or two from a major city.

That makes it easy to visit family, drive to a major airport, or head to Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair. And at the end of the day, you can come home to a place where you can hear yourself think.

AFFORDABILITY

It’s pretty simple: life costs less here, which means you can afford to live how you want. On average, homes in Mid Iowa cost $50K less than the Iowa average and $128K less than the national. That home you’ve always wanted? It’s here, and you can afford it.

And it’s not just homes. The ‘little’ things – like groceries, movie tickets, clothes, sporting goods – also tend to be more affordable in Mid Iowa, where the cost of living is 14% lower than the Iowa average and 22% lower than the national. That means less stress and better financial security.