Iowa housing market
Data through September 2026 · updated 2026-11-07 · free, from Zillow, Realtor.com, the Census Bureau and other public sources
Typical home value$236,623+3.3% YoY · prices are rising fast
Market right nowBalanced marketMore homes for sale than last year, 19% have cut their price
Income needed to buy, per year$51,295About 0.7× the local median income ($75,623): affordable for a typical household
Days on market61 daysSlower than a year ago: buyers have time to negotiate
Next 12 months+2.7%Zillow expects prices to rise slightly
The typical home in Iowa is worth $236,623, up 3.3% from a year ago. That is slightly above what local incomes have historically supported: fair value is about $216,180, so the area is 9.5% overvalued. It is a balanced market: homes take about 61 days to sell, listings are up 3% from a year ago, 19% of listings have had a price cut. Zillow expects prices to rise about 2.7% over the next year. A household needs about $51,295 a year to afford the typical home here at today's 7.18% mortgage rate (20% down, payment at 30% of income); the median household earns $75,623. In the latest IRS figures, 1,787 more people moved out than in.
Home value over time
Solid: typical home value · dashed: fair value (household income × the 20-year average price-to-income ratio). Sources: FHFA, Zillow, U.S. Census Bureau.
Prices and affordability
| Typical home value | $236,623 |
| Change in 1 year | +3.3% |
| Overvalued % | +9.5% |
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| Fair home value | $216,180 |
| Change in 5 years | +25.9% |
| Zillow forecast, next 12 months | +2.7% |
| Home value to income | 3.1× |
| Monthly mortgage payment (20% down) | $1,282 |
| Income needed to afford it | $51,295 |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% |
Rent and investing
| HUD Fair Market Rent, 2 bedrooms | $1,115 |
Market activity
| Listings vs a year ago | +3.0% |
| Days on market | 61 |
| Listings with a price cut | 19.4% |
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| Homes for sale | 12,107 |
| Pending sales per 100 listings | 35 |
| Asking price per sq ft | $173 |
People and jobs
| Median household income | $75,623 |
| Population change (1 year) | +0.2% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% |
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| Population | 3,238,387 |
| Income adjusted for cost of living | $86,131 |
| Net moves in (IRS) | −1,787 |
| Cost of living (US = 100) | 87.8 |
Schools, risk and environment
| FEMA hazard risk score (0 to 100) | 63.2 |
| Unhealthy air days a year | 3 |
| Flood risk score | 62.7 |
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| Wildfire risk score | 45.4 |
| Walkability (1 to 20) | 8.4 |
| Road, rail and air noise | 53 dB |
Questions people ask
- Is Iowa overvalued?
- Home prices in Iowa are slightly above what local incomes have historically supported: fair value is about $216,180, so the area is 9.5% overvalued.
- Is Iowa a buyer's or seller's market?
- Iowa is a balanced market: homes take about 61 days to sell, listings are up 3% from a year ago, 19% of listings have had a price cut.
- Are home prices going down in Iowa?
- Home values in Iowa are up 3.3% over the last year. Zillow's forecast for the next 12 months is +2.7%.
- How much do you need to earn to buy a home in Iowa?
- A household needs about $51,295 a year to afford the typical home in Iowa at today's 7.18% mortgage rate (20% down, payment at 30% of income); the median household earns $75,623.
Metro areas
Omaha, NE-IADes Moines-West Des Moines, IADavenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-ILCedar Rapids, IAIowa City, IAWaterloo-Cedar Falls, IASioux City, IA-NE-SDAmes, IADubuque, IA
Counties
Adair CountyAdams CountyAllamakee CountyAppanoose CountyAudubon CountyBenton CountyBlack Hawk CountyBoone CountyBremer CountyBuchanan CountyBuena Vista CountyButler CountyCalhoun CountyCarroll CountyCass CountyCedar CountyCerro Gordo CountyCherokee CountyChickasaw CountyClarke CountyClay CountyClayton CountyClinton CountyCrawford CountyDallas CountyDavis CountyDecatur CountyDelaware CountyDes Moines CountyDickinson CountyDubuque CountyEmmet CountyFayette CountyFloyd CountyFranklin CountyFremont CountyGreene CountyGrundy CountyGuthrie CountyHamilton CountyHancock CountyHardin CountyHarrison CountyHenry CountyHoward CountyHumboldt CountyIda CountyIowa CountyJackson CountyJasper CountyJefferson CountyJohnson CountyJones CountyKeokuk CountyKossuth CountyLee CountyLinn CountyLouisa CountyLucas CountyLyon CountyMadison CountyMahaska CountyMarion CountyMarshall CountyMills CountyMitchell CountyMonona CountyMonroe CountyMontgomery CountyMuscatine CountyO Brien CountyOsceola CountyPage CountyPalo Alto CountyPlymouth CountyPocahontas CountyPolk CountyPottawattamie CountyPoweshiek CountyRinggold CountySac CountyScott CountyShelby CountySioux CountyStory CountyTama CountyTaylor CountyUnion CountyVan Buren CountyWapello CountyWarren CountyWashington CountyWayne CountyWebster CountyWinnebago CountyWinneshiek CountyWoodbury CountyWorth CountyWright County