Housing data for Collins, IA

Collins, IA has an estimated 533 residents and 233 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).

It is a city in Story County.

24.8% of households rent.

The median gross rent is $862 a month.

Figures last updated on .

Residents
533 (±130)
Housing units
233 (±44)
Households that rent
24.8%
Median gross rent
$862
Residents since 2015–2019
+11.7%

What stands out in Collins

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 6.9% (±12.4 points) in Collins, lower than in Story County (32.0%).

Average commute: 28.7 minutes (±2.5) in Collins, higher than in Story County (17.8 minutes).

Homes built before 1980: 73.8% (±16.9 points) in Collins, higher than in Story County (46.7%).

Median home value: $159,200 (±$14,345) in Collins, lower than in Story County ($258,700).

Housing in Collins at a glance

  • Median rent: $862 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Rent by bedrooms: $1,304 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Rent burden: 34.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Renters and owners: 24.8% of households rent
  • Income and affordability: $67,500 median household income
  • Home values: $159,200 median home value
  • Homeowner costs: $1,508 median monthly cost with a mortgage
  • Property taxes: $2,160 median real estate taxes a year
  • Types of homes: 6.9% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
  • Bedrooms: 52.8% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
  • Age of homes: 73.8% of homes were built before 1980
  • Vacancy rate: 22.4% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Heating fuel: 62.4% heat with utility gas
  • Commute and cars: 28.7 minutes average trip to work
  • Growth: +11.7% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • How long people stay: 19.0% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
  • Crowding and facilities: 1.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)

Collins against Story County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
CollinsStory CountyIowaUnited States
Residents533 (±130)100,466 (exact)3,210,507 (exact)334,922,499
Housing units233 (±44)41,887 (±101)1,437,699 (±523)143,775,355
Households that rent24.8% (±11.4 points)44.5% (±1.6 points)28.3% (±0.3 points)34.8%
Median gross rent$862 (±$224)$1,018 (±$35)$972 (±$6)$1,413
Median household income$67,500 (±$14,172)$69,685 (±$2,902)$75,059 (±$418)$80,734
Median home value$159,200 (±$14,345)$258,700 (±$8,356)$208,000 (±$1,141)$332,700
Median real estate taxes (a year)$2,160 (±$612)$3,632 (±$107)$2,897 (±$13)$3,119
Built before 198073.8% (±16.9 points)46.7% (±2.2 points)61.5% (±0.4 points)49.7%
Average commute28.7 minutes (±2.5)17.8 minutes (±0.6)19.8 minutes (±0.1)26.4 minutes
Households with broadband88.6% (±9.0 points)80.4% (±1.6 points)88.9% (±0.2 points)91.0%
Median age of residents32.3 years (±2.5)26.9 years (±0.3)38.6 years (±0.2)38.9 years

Collins covers 0.5 square miles of land, about 1,092 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).

How Collins has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
2015–20192020–2024Amount of changeVerdict
Residents477 (±99)533 (±130)+11.7%Not a measurable change
Housing units200 (±38)233 (±44)+16.5%Not a measurable change
Median gross rent$855 (±$123)$862 (±$224)+0.8%No measurable change after inflation
Median home value$97,100 (±$14,550)$159,200 (±$14,345)+64.0%Up after inflation
Median household income$55,500 (±$11,067)$67,500 (±$14,172)+21.6%No measurable change after inflation
Median owner cost with a mortgage$1,193 (±$118)$1,508 (±$300)+26.4%No measurable change after inflation
Median real estate taxes$1,619 (±$201)$2,160 (±$612)+33.4%No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent29.0% (±9.1 points)24.8% (±11.4 points)−4.2 percentage pointsNot a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate0.0% (±32.7 points)22.4% (±25.4 points)+22.4 percentage pointsNot a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Crime reported to police in Story County

Collins has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Story County as a whole.

In 2025, the police departments that report for Story County recorded 93 violent and 1,037 property crimes per 100,000 residents.

A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.

Places near Collins

Nearest places with Census figures, by straight-line distance
PlaceDistanceMedian gross rentMedian home valueHouseholds that rent
Maxwell4.6 mi$650$184,60011.8%
Rhodes6.6 mi$491$98,00017.8%
Colo7.8 mi$950$152,00016.7%
Mingo9.5 mi$734$144,30025.7%
Baxter9.6 mi$900$166,70025.6%
State Center11 mi$766$167,40017.7%
Melbourne11 mi$756$155,40024.4%
Nevada11 mi$953$182,40028.1%

Places in Iowa most like Collins

PlaceMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household incomeHouseholds that rent
Tipton$845$165,500$61,11527.8%
Pleasantville$866$168,300$67,61425.8%
Albia$915$130,300$70,45526.6%
Blairstown$831$175,000$79,37522.4%
Wayland$814$135,500$70,77420.2%
Sabula$950$133,300$77,65624.0%

Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Iowa.

HUD Fair Market Rent for Collins, fiscal year 2027

Ames, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, dollars a month
Studio1 bedroom2 bedrooms3 bedrooms4 bedrooms
$891$944$1,061$1,469$1,768

HUD income limits for Collins, fiscal year 2026

Ames, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, annual household income
Household sizeExtremely low (30%)Very low (50%)Low (80%)
1 person$25,700$42,850$68,550
2 people$29,400$49,000$78,350
3 people$33,050$55,100$88,150
4 people$36,700$61,200$97,900
5 people$39,650$66,100$105,750
6 people$44,360$71,000$113,600
7 people$50,040$75,900$121,400
8 people$55,720$80,800$129,250

These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Ames, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $122,400.

A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Collins

How many renters are there in Collins?

Collins has an estimated 52 (±29) renting households, 24.8% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the median household income in Collins?

The median household income in Collins is $67,500 (±$14,172) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average home value in Collins, IA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median: $159,200 (±$14,345) for owner-occupied homes in Collins (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average mortgage payment in Collins?

The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Collins, IA is $1,508 (±$300) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.

How much are property taxes in Collins?

The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Collins, IA is $2,160 (±$612) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes are in Collins?

Collins, IA has an estimated 233 (±44) housing units, occupied and vacant (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is Collins growing?

In Collins, the number of residents went from 477 in 2015–2019 to 533 in 2020–2024 (+11.7%), not a measurable change.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Collins city, Iowa (place:15195, in state:19).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.

Figures last updated on .

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