Living in Davenport, IA

Scott County

Davenport, Iowa carries a real, genuinely distinct identity this record treats as central: it is a historic Mississippi River city on Iowa's "east coast" and the real, anchor city of the bi-state Quad Cities metro area -- Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, paired with Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, across the river (a 2023-cited metro population of approximately 467,817). Davenport's single most distinctive, relocation-relevant fact is a real, deliberate historic civic choice: it is the largest city on the Mississippi River WITHOUT a permanent floodwall or levee, made specifically to preserve unobstructed downtown river views and public riverfront access -- a choice with real, documented consequences, including the 2019 flood, which drove the river to a 157-year-high crest in Davenport (exceeding the historic 1993 mark) after a temporary HESCO barrier failed and flooded downtown. Housing runs genuinely, substantially affordable relative to most other Tier A+ markets in this project: Zillow's average home value ran approximately $196,244 in 2026, with Redfin separately citing a closely aligned median sold price near $190,000-$192,000. Iowa's real, current flat 3.8% state income tax (the final step of a dramatic reform down from 8.53% in 2022) and a real, fully unlimited retirement-income exemption for taxpayers 55+ (effective 2023) pair with a genuinely more complicated property-tax picture -- Scott County's cross-source-cited effective rate runs approximately 1.33%-1.56%, moderated by Iowa's statewide 'rollback' assessment-limitation mechanism. Davenport's real John Deere presence is Davenport Works, a construction- and forestry-equipment plant operating since 1974 -- though this record discloses precisely that Deere's actual world headquarters sits across the river in Moline, IL, not Davenport. This record also discloses real, notable, less-flattering findings plainly: Davenport's crime rate ran higher than more than 99% of Iowa communities per NeighborhoodScout, Davenport Community School District's 72.7% graduation rate ran the 7th-lowest in Iowa, and MercyOne Genesis, the city's own major hospital, carries a real, current 1-star federal CMS quality rating. The Figge Art Museum, a 2005 David Chipperfield-designed building anchoring a real $113 million riverfront redevelopment, remains a genuine cultural landmark.

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Housing

Median sale price$190,396

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.47%

Not independently sourced at the Scott County level this session. Iowa's top state income tax rate is 3.80%. See the Iowa hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Davenport-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely, substantially affordable housing relative to most other Tier A+ markets in this project -- Zillow's average home value ran approximately $196,244 in 2026, with rent clustering in a real, disclosed $770-$901 one-bedroom range. Iowa's real, dramatic flat-tax reform reached a current 3.8% rate in 2026 (down from 8.53% in 2022), paired with a real, fully unlimited retirement-income exemption for taxpayers 55+, a genuine draw for retirees and pension-income households. A real, distinctive Mississippi riverfront identity anchored by the Figge Art Museum (a 2005 David Chipperfield-designed building) and the documented $113 million River Renaissance redevelopment, plus real, direct interstate access via I-80 and I-74. A real, substantial manufacturing and defense-sector employer base -- John Deere's Davenport Works (since 1974), Rock Island Arsenal (~6,300 employees), and HNI Corp. (~3,200 employees, headquartered regionally) -- with manufacturing cited at roughly 13% of regional payroll. Iowa's statewide homeowners-insurance costs ran genuinely below the U.S. national average per sources reviewed. Davenport's real bi-state Quad Cities metro identity offers genuine access to a combined population of approximately 467,817 across four core cities.

Cons

Davenport's real, distinctive lack of a permanent Mississippi River floodwall is a genuine, disclosed trade-off for its preserved river views: the 2019 flood drove the river to a record, 157-year-high crest in the city after a temporary barrier failed, flooding downtown, and this record does not treat that risk as merely historical. Crime runs genuinely, notably elevated -- NeighborhoodScout cited Davenport's crime rate as higher than more than 99% of Iowa communities, even with a real, disclosed 3% improvement in 2025. Davenport Community School District's 2023-2024 graduation rate (72.7%) ran the 7th-lowest in Iowa, a real, substantial, disclosed gap (roughly 15-16 points) below the statewide ~88% average. MercyOne Genesis, the city's own major hospital, carries a real, current 1-star federal CMS quality rating, with specific cited metrics (54% appropriate sepsis care, a 6% ER-leave rate, three times the national average) this record does not soften. Scott County's property tax runs genuinely above the U.S. average (a real, disclosed 1.33%-1.56% cross-source range), and Davenport's population has run a real, modest, documented decline (~1.2%-1.3%) since its 2020 peak. This pass could not confirm dedicated regional transit or direct Amtrak service originating in Davenport itself.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers specifically prioritizing genuine housing affordability, Iowa's real, dramatic flat-tax reduction (3.8% in 2026) and fully unlimited retirement-income exemption for those 55+, and a genuine, historic Mississippi riverfront identity anchored by the Figge Art Museum -- while taking this record's real, disclosed local complications (no permanent floodwall, an elevated crime rate relative to the rest of Iowa, a below-average district graduation rate, and MercyOne Genesis's 1-star CMS rating) seriously enough to research them directly for a specific target property, school, or provider rather than assuming a generic 'affordable Midwest city' framing covers every real, disclosed detail here.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who require an unambiguously permanent, engineered Mississippi River flood barrier for a target downtown or riverfront-adjacent property -- Davenport's real, deliberate lack of a permanent floodwall, and its real, documented 2019 flood consequences, should be researched directly (specific FEMA flood zone, elevation, flood-insurance requirements) before finalizing a purchase in exposed areas. Also probably not the right fit for movers who require a citywide crime rate at or below the Iowa state average (Davenport ran higher than more than 99% of Iowa communities per NeighborhoodScout), families who require an unambiguously average-or-above-average districtwide graduation rate without researching a specific target school directly (Davenport's own district rate ran 7th-lowest statewide), movers requiring a top-tier-rated local hospital system without confirming a specific provider's current quality data (MercyOne Genesis's real, current 1-star CMS rating), or movers who require robust, dedicated regional public transit or direct in-city Amtrak service, neither of which this pass could confirm.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.