Iowa City, IA Metro Area
The Iowa City, IA metro area is made up of 2 counties in Iowa: Johnson and Washington. About 182,711 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 4.2% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 182,711 4.2% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 2: 1 central, 1 outlying
- Land area
- 1,182 sq mi (3,061 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Iowa
- Combined statistical area
- Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA
- CBSA code
- 26980
Counties in the Iowa City, IA metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson County | Central | 160,044 | 87.6% |
| Washington County | Outlying | 22,667 | 12.4% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central county, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Iowa City75,752 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other area in this one is
- Cedar Rapids, IA Metro Area279,285 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Cedar Rapids, IA Metro Area23 mi north
- Muscatine, IA Micro Area29 mi southeast
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
Find the metro area where you are now, find your county, or see every metro and micro area by population.