The Ankeny Brief
Here's a fact that surprises people: Ankeny's sales tax rate is 6 percent, lower than every other city in Polk County, because Ankeny is the only one that has never adopted a local option sales tax. Here's what that means for your receipt, why it's unusual, and the 2026 vote that could nudge it up.
The sales tax rate in Ankeny is 6 percent, which is just Iowa's statewide sales tax. Ankeny is the only city in Polk County without a local option sales tax (LOST), the extra 1 percent that most Iowa cities add, so most purchases in Ankeny are taxed a penny-on-the-dollar less than in neighboring towns. A special election is set for September 8, 2026 on whether to adopt a 1 percent local option, which would raise the total to 7 percent.
Iowa lets cities add a local option sales tax of 1 percent on top of the state's 6 percent, and almost everyone does it: more than 99 percent of Iowa cities have a LOST, and every other city in Polk County collects it. Ankeny is the lone exception. Voters here have repeatedly declined to add the extra penny, which is why a $100 purchase rings up at $106 in Ankeny versus $107 a few minutes away in Des Moines, Urbandale, or Johnston.
A local option sales tax is attractive to cities because a chunk of it is paid by non-residents passing through, and it can be used to lower property taxes or fund streets, parks, and public safety. The counterargument, and the reason Ankeny has held out, is that it raises the cost of everything bought in town. It's a genuine local debate with real money on both sides, not a settled question.
Ankeny has scheduled a special election for September 8, 2026, asking voters whether to adopt a 1 percent local option sales tax. If it passes, Ankeny's total rate would rise from 6 percent to 7 percent, matching the rest of the metro. If it fails, Ankeny stays at 6 percent and keeps its distinction as the county's lone holdout. We'll cover the result in the Ankeny Brief.
Sales tax is separate from property tax, and the two are often confused. Ankeny also has one of the lower property-tax levies in the metro. For how that works and how to appeal your assessment, see our Ankeny property taxes guide, and for the wider budget picture, the cost of living guide.
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6 percent, which is just Iowa's statewide rate. Ankeny is the only Polk County city with no local option tax, so it's a penny lower than neighbors that charge 7 percent.
Ankeny has never adopted the 1 percent local option tax that Des Moines and almost every other city add, so it stays at the state's 6 percent.
No, it's the only Polk County city without one. A September 8, 2026 special election will ask voters whether to add a 1 percent local option, which would make it 7 percent.
Maybe. A September 8, 2026 vote will decide whether to add a 1 percent local option, which would raise it from 6 to 7 percent. If it fails, it stays at 6 percent.