Iowa•In office since 2017•Party: R

Kim Reynolds

Serving as Governor of Iowa since 2017. Evaluation based on verified public data.

Overall GradeA-

76.0 / 100

Ranked #9 of 50 nationally

Economy

61.3 / 100B-

Unemployment RateB-

3.2%

National avg 3.9%

Rank 18 of 5066 pct

Trend since took officefrom 3.1%

Median Household IncomeB

$70,571

National avg $74,580

Rank 32 of 5037 pct

Trend since took officefrom $56,247

Job GrowthB-

3.5%

National avg 5.5%

Rank 35 of 5032 pct

Trend since took officefrom 1.5%

Real GDP GrowthB

6.0%

National avg 8.0%

Rank 28 of 5045 pct

Trend since took officefrom 2.0%

Real Wage GrowthB-

2.7%

National avg 3.0%

Rank 33 of 5036 pct

Trend since took officefrom 1.0%

Fiscal Health

71.5 / 100B+

State Debt per CapitaB+

$1,800

National avg $3,580

Rank 15 of 5071 pct

Trend since took officefrom $1,900

Rainy Day FundA+

30.0%

National avg 14.0%

Rank 5 of 5092 pct

Trend since took officefrom 25.0%

State & Local Tax BurdenD+

11.2%

National avg 11.2%

Rank 33 of 5036 pct

Trend since took officefrom 11.1%

Credit RatingA+

100

National avg 90

Rank 12 of 5079 pct

Trend since took officefrom 100

Quality of Life

66.4 / 100B

Poverty RateB-

10.8%

National avg 11.5%

Rank 19 of 5063 pct

Trend since took officefrom 11.0%

High School Graduation RateA

93.0%

National avg 87.0%

Rank 1 of 50100 pct

Trend since took officefrom 91.4%

Life ExpectancyC

77.3 yrs

National avg 77.5 yrs

Rank 25 of 5052 pct

Trend since took officefrom 77.7 yrs

Violent Crime RateB

283 / 100k

National avg 380 / 100k

Rank 17 of 5068 pct

Trend since took officefrom 303 / 100k

Bridges in Poor ConditionB+

3.6%

National avg 6.6%

Rank 11 of 5080 pct

Trend since took officefrom 3.9%

How this grade is built

Each metric gets two scores: how the state ranks among all 50 states (60%) and how much it changed under this governor (40%). These combine into a 0–100 score per metric, averaged within three pillars — Economy, Fiscal Health, Quality of Life — then curved across the cohort so grades spread A–F.

Full methodology →