Iowa continues to rank highly among residents for quality-of-life factors such as safety, friendliness and cost of living, but concerns about their ability to achieve career and financial goals persist, according to the Iowa Chamber Alliance’s 2026 Iowa Talent Poll.

The poll, released Jan. 21 and conducted by Cygnal, included responses from more than 1,200 Iowa residents and focuses on talent attraction and retention. Respondents ranked Iowa ahead of other places for its small-town feel, lower cost of living (59%), friendliness (62%) and safety (68.5%).

Despite those advantages, nearly half of respondents (47.1%) said they believe their future standard of living will be lower. While 73.1% reported feeling secure in their current jobs, respondents cited inflation, rising costs of living, job creation and property taxes as top priorities for the state to focus on.

Now in its fourth year, the Iowa Talent Poll is designed to track trends over time and help inform policymakers and community leaders. The results continue to highlight post-millennials as a key demographic for Iowa’s future labor force and show that chambers of commerce and small businesses remain trusted institutions among residents. 

Poll respondents identified small businesses as the organizations making the largest investment in Iowa’s workforce.

“This year’s Iowa Talent Poll continues to show a strong base for Iowa to market to working adults, especially for young families, and we hope policymakers continue to make investments to further grow the state as our chambers also work with our communities on that same goal,” Iowa Chamber Alliance board president John Hall said in a prepared statement. 

Read more about the poll here.