Comparison
California vs. Iowa
The certified H-1B applications for California stood at 98,135 certified against 2,115 certified for Iowa in FY2025, according to the Department of Labor’s LCA disclosure data.
The 22 measures the Factbook publishes for both California and Iowa — different agencies, different periods, counting different things. Nothing here adds or scores one against another.
Measure by measure
Violent crime rate · Crime and justice
By violent crime rate, California is 9 of 51 and Iowa is 35 of 51. Highest on the right.
Imprisonment rate · Crime and justice
By imprisonment rate, California is 35 of 50 and Iowa is 32 of 50. Highest on the right.
Federal spending per resident · Federal spending
By obligations per resident, California is 32 of 51 and Iowa is 40 of 51. Highest on the right.
Registered nonprofits · Nonprofits
By registered nonprofits, California is 1 of 51 and Iowa is 24 of 51. Highest on the right.
Industry payments to health providers · Health
By industry payments to health providers, California is 1 of 51 and Iowa is 35 of 51. Highest on the right.
Farm payments paid out · Farm subsidies
By farm payments paid out, California is 8 of 50 and Iowa is 1 of 50. Highest on the right.
PPP loans approved · PPP loans
By PPP loans approved, California is 1 of 51 and Iowa is 29 of 51. Highest on the right.
Population · Demographics
By population, California is 1 of 51 and Iowa is 32 of 51. Highest on the right.
School spending per pupil · Schools
By school spending per pupil, California is 15 of 51 and Iowa is 35 of 51. Highest on the right.
Bank offices per 100,000 residents · Banks and credit unions
By bank offices per 100,000 residents, California is 49 of 51 and Iowa is 5 of 51. Highest on the right.
HUD-subsidized housing per 1,000 residents · Housing
By hUD-subsidized housing per 1,000 residents, California is 31 of 51 and Iowa is 33 of 51. Highest on the right.
Mortgage loans originated per 1,000 residents · Mortgage lending
By mortgage loans originated per 1,000 residents, California is 48 of 51 and Iowa is 13 of 51. Highest on the right.
Cost of living (U.S. = 100) · Cost of living
By cost of living (U.S. = 100), California is 1 of 51 and Iowa is 49 of 51. Highest on the right.
Substance use treatment listings per 100,000 residents · Treatment facilities
By substance use treatment listings per 100,000 residents, California is 45 of 51 and Iowa is 10 of 51. Highest on the right.
Health center patient-care sites per 100,000 residents · Health centers
By health center patient-care sites per 100,000 residents, California is 16 of 51 and Iowa is 39 of 51. Highest on the right.
Pandemic relief to the state government per resident · Pandemic relief
By pandemic relief to the state government per resident, California is 37 of 51 and Iowa is 47 of 51. Highest on the right.
County health estimates: counties covered · County health
By county health estimates: counties covered, California is 27 of 51 and Iowa is 9 of 51. Highest on the right.
Registered aircraft · Aircraft registry
By registered aircraft, California is 2 of 51 and Iowa is 28 of 51. Highest on the right.
Certified H-1B applications · H-1B salaries
By certified H-1B applications, California is 1 of 51 and Iowa is 31 of 51. Highest on the right.
Major disaster declarations since 2000 · Disasters
By major disaster declarations since 2000, California is 2 of 51 and Iowa is 14 of 51. Highest on the right.
College sports revenue · Sports
By college sports revenue, California is 2 of 51 and Iowa is 21 of 51. Highest on the right.
Federal civilian employees · Federal salaries
By federal civilian employees, California is 2 of 51 and Iowa is 39 of 51. Highest on the right.
The differences
Each row is one publisher’s measure over its own period. The difference is one state’s figure taken from the other’s within that row, and nothing is carried from one row to the next.
| Measure | California | Iowa | Difference | Higher | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime rateper 100,000 · 2025 | 434.8 per 100,000 | 238.2 per 100,000 | 196.6 | California | The FBI’s Crime Data ExplorerFederal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division |
| Imprisonment rateper 100,000 · 2023 | 246 per 100,000 | 274 per 100,000 | 28 | Iowa | The Bureau of Justice StatisticsU.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics |
| Federal spending per residentFY2025 | $12,343 | $11,278 | $1,065 | California | USAspendingU.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service |
| Registered nonprofits2026 | 203,805 | 30,339 | 173,466 | California | The IRSInternal Revenue Service |
| Industry payments to health providers2019–2025 | $2.4 billion | $94.5 million | $2.3 billion | California | CMS Open PaymentsCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
| Farm payments paid out2025 | $1.1 billion | $2.0 billion | $850.8 million | Iowa | The Farm Service AgencyU.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency |
| PPP loans approved2020–2021 | $103.2 billion | $8.1 billion | $95.1 billion | California | The SBAU.S. Small Business Administration |
| PopulationJuly 2025 | 39,355,309 | 3,238,387 | 36,116,922 | California | The Census BureauU.S. Census Bureau |
| School spending per pupilFY2024 | $20,430 | $14,372 | $6,059 | California | NCESNational Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education |
| Bank offices per 100,000 residentsJune 2026 | 13.7 | 41.7 | 28.0 | Iowa | The FDICFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
| HUD-subsidized housing per 1,000 residents2025 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 0.1 | California | HUDU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research |
| Mortgage loans originated per 1,000 residents2025 | 14.5 | 23.4 | 8.9 | Iowa | The CFPBConsumer Financial Protection Bureau |
| Cost of living (U.S. = 100)2024 | 110.7 | 87.8 | 23.0 | California | BEAU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis |
| Substance use treatment listings per 100,000 residents2025 | 3.0 per 100,000 | 6.6 per 100,000 | 3.6 | Iowa | SAMHSASubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality |
| Health center patient-care sites per 100,000 residentsOctober 2026 | 7.2 per 100,000 | 3.7 per 100,000 | 3.5 | California | HRSAHealth Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care |
| Pandemic relief to the state government per residentJuly 2025 | $2,010 per resident | $1,787 per resident | $223 | California | PRACPandemic Response Accountability Committee |
| County health estimates: counties covered2023 | 58 counties | 99 counties | 41 | Iowa | CDC’s PLACESCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health |
| Registered aircraftOctober 2026 | 27,296 registered | 4,400 registered | 22,896 | California | The FAAFederal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Registry |
| Certified H-1B applicationsFY2025 | 98,135 certified | 2,115 certified | 96,020 | California | The Department of Labor’s LCA disclosure dataU.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Foreign Labor Certification |
| Major disaster declarations since 20002000–2026 | 53 major disasters since 2000 | 42 major disasters since 2000 | 11 | California | FEMA's Disaster Declarations SummariesFederal Emergency Management Agency, OpenFEMA |
| College sports revenue2024–25 | $2.2 billion | $537.8 million | $1.6 billion | California | The Education Department’s athletics disclosuresOffice of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education |
| Federal civilian employeesAugust 2026 | 78,737 | 7,042 | 71,695 | California | OPMU.S. Office of Personnel Management |
What this cannot show
- Reporting to the FBI is voluntary. This counts offenses the participating agencies reported, over the population those agencies covered — so a state whose agencies reported less is not thereby safer, and two states are only comparable with their coverage shares beside them.
- Prisons are not jails. People held in local jails awaiting trial or serving short sentences are a separate collection and are not counted here, so this is not the number of people behind bars in the state.
- An obligation is a binding commitment to pay, recorded where the work is performed rather than where the money reaches people. One agency running something national from one office puts that whole figure in one state, which is why a small state can lead the country per resident.
- Nothing here is comparable across the three. They are different agencies counting different things over different periods, and no figure on this page is derived from another.
- The difference column subtracts one state’s published figure from the other’s within a measure, and that is the only arithmetic on this page. Each measure is one publisher’s count over its own period and denominator; a rate over the population the reporting agencies covered, a dollar figure for a fiscal year and a count of people are not comparable with one another, and nothing here ranks or scores one state against the other across measures.
Sources
- FBI Crime Data Explorer API — Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved September 19, 2026
- Bureau of Justice Statistics — Prisoners — U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics · BJS reuse policy
- USAspending API v2 — U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved September 23, 2026
- Exempt Organizations Business Master File — Internal Revenue Service · retrieved October 14, 2026
- Open Payments — payments grouped by physician — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
- Farm program payment files — U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency · retrieved September 24, 2026
- SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) FOIA — loan-level data — U.S. Small Business Administration · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
- Census Bureau population estimates — nation and states, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work
- NCES School District Finance Survey (F-33) — newest fiscal year — National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education · retrieved October 21, 2026
- FDIC BankFind — locations (every current office of an FDIC-insured institution) — Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved October 31, 2026
- HUD Picture of Subsidized Households — by county, program and sub-program — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research · HUD web publication statement · retrieved September 27, 2026
- HMDA public loan/application register (LAR) — each year's fullest national release — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · CFPB website policy: public domain · retrieved October 22, 2026
- BEA Regional Price Parities and real personal income — states and metropolitan areas — U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · BEA API Terms of Service · retrieved October 24, 2026
- SAMHSA National Directories — substance use and mental health treatment facilities — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality · SAMHSA public domain notice · retrieved October 17, 2026
- HRSA Health Center Service Delivery and Look-Alike Sites — Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Primary Health Care · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved October 16, 2026
- Pandemic relief funding to state and territorial governments (PRAC) — Pandemic Response Accountability Committee · retrieved November 7, 2026
- PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data, 2025 release — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Population Health · Public Domain · retrieved November 4, 2026
- FAA Releasable Aircraft Database — aircraft, aircraft models and engine models — Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Registry · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved October 24, 2026
- U.S. Department of Labor — LCA Disclosure Data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3) — U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Foreign Labor Certification · Public domain — U.S. Department of Labor · retrieved November 6, 2026
- OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, v2 — Federal Emergency Management Agency, OpenFEMA · U.S. Government work · retrieved November 4, 2026
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data — every college athletics program, by institution — Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education · retrieved September 27, 2026
- OPM Federal Workforce Data — Federal Employment Raw Data (EHRI Status) — U.S. Office of Personnel Management · Public domain — U.S. Government work · retrieved October 9, 2026
Compiled automatically from FBI Crime Data Explorer API, Bureau of Justice Statistics — Prisoners, USAspending API v2, Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Open Payments — payments grouped by physician, Farm program payment files, SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) FOIA — loan-level data, Census Bureau population estimates — nation and states, with components of change, NCES School District Finance Survey (F-33) — newest fiscal year, FDIC BankFind — locations (every current office of an FDIC-insured institution), HUD Picture of Subsidized Households — by county, program and sub-program, HMDA public loan/application register (LAR) — each year's fullest national release, BEA Regional Price Parities and real personal income — states and metropolitan areas, SAMHSA National Directories — substance use and mental health treatment facilities, HRSA Health Center Service Delivery and Look-Alike Sites, Pandemic relief funding to state and territorial governments (PRAC), PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data, 2025 release, FAA Releasable Aircraft Database — aircraft, aircraft models and engine models, U.S. Department of Labor — LCA Disclosure Data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3), OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, v2, Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data — every college athletics program, by institution and OPM Federal Workforce Data — Federal Employment Raw Data (EHRI Status) by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built
Data retrieved