(Des Moines, IA) — Iowans may disagree, but a new national ranking puts the Iowa State Fair outside the top five. The Iowa State Fair ranked seventh in USA TODAY’s 2026 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons says everyone knows Iowa’s fair is the best, including Yelp, which ranked its food among the best in the country.
The rankings were determined through a public vote after a panel of experts selected their favorite state fairs from across the country. Iowa fell from second place in last year’s rankings to seventh this year.
