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We believe sound fiscal and economic research is essential to uphold Iowa's economic vitality, future, and individual opportunity.
Common Sense Institute is a non-partisan research organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of Iowa's economy. CSI is at the forefront of important discussions concerning the future of free enterprise in Iowa and aims to have an impact on the issues that matter most to Iowan's.
Iowa ranks 47th for its rate of total homelessness, 38th for chronic homelessness, 49th for unsheltered homelessness, 38th for severely mentally ill homelessness, and 37th for homeless with chronic substanc
Year-over-year inflation rose from 3.8% to 4.2% for the U.S. and from 4.1% to 5.0% for the Midwest in May 2026.
CSI projects Iowa’s property tax reforms, SF 2472 (2026) and HF 718 (2023), will improve Iowa’s local tax burden rank from 20th most burdened in the nation in FY 2023 to 29th by FY 2033.
As of March 2026, the average Iowan needs to work 38 hours per month to afford a new mortgage payment on a typical new single-family home. This is 14 hours less than the national average.
Without affordable and reliable childcare, parents’—especially mothers—miss out on work. Learn more about the causes, solutions, potential impacts, and how childcare profoundly affects Iowa's workforce.
Iowa’s policymakers, providers, and insurers operate within a state comprised of an aging population and large rural areas.
Our recent study, Clarkonomics, is not the first to explore the economics of Clark’s superstardom, but it takes a unique approach.
To discuss the launch of CSI Iowa, Host Earl Wright is joined by Joe Murphy, President of the Iowa Business Council and the inaugural CSI Iowa Board Chair, and Ben Murrey, CSI Iowa Director of Policy & Rese