Movers in Iowa

Moving in or out of Iowa? Understand what your move should cost, how to tell an in-state move from a state-to-state one, and get quotes from moving professionals covering 936 Iowa cities and towns.

How moving works in Iowa

Iowa has an estimated 3,207,004 residents (US Census Bureau, 2023) spread across the 936 cities and towns we cover. 3 of them have 100,000 people or more and 16 are mid-sized places between 25,000 and 100,000, with Des Moines the largest at 210,381, about 6.6% of everyone in the state. With no single dominant metro, moves here are often served by regional crews. Ask each company how it charges for travel from its yard, since practices vary.

Moving costs in Iowa

What you pay comes down to four things: how much you’re moving, how far it’s going, how much packing you want done for you, and when you move. Moves that stay inside Iowa are usually priced by the hour with a crew and truck; moves that cross the Iowa line are priced on the weight of your shipment and the distance travelled.

Summer weekends and the first and last days of the month are the busiest and most expensive times to move anywhere in Iowa. A midweek date outside those windows is the single easiest way to lower your quote.

Where most Iowa moves start

These are the largest cities we cover in Iowa, with US Census Bureau 2023 population estimates. Crews are easiest to book, and priced most competitively, where volume is highest.

Des Moines, pop. 210,381
Cedar Rapids, pop. 135,958
Davenport, pop. 100,354
Sioux City, pop. 85,727
Iowa City, pop. 75,678
Ankeny, pop. 74,458
West Des Moines, pop. 72,205
Waterloo, pop. 66,606

In-state or state-to-state?

If both addresses are inside Iowa, you need in-state movers. If you’re crossing a state line, you need an interstate carrier with a USDOT number. Ask for a written estimate either way, and check that the estimate lists services rather than just a total.