Housing data for Council Bluffs, IA
Council Bluffs, IA has an estimated 62,586 residents and 27,616 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Pottawattamie County.
36.9% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,030 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+0.4%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 62,586 (±40)
- Housing units
- 27,616 (±333)
- Households that rent
- 36.9%
- Median gross rent
- $1,030
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +0.4%
What stands out in Council Bluffs
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 19.3% (±1.8 points) in Council Bluffs, higher than in Pottawattamie County (14.3%).
Households that rent: 36.9% (±1.8 points) in Council Bluffs, higher than in Pottawattamie County (30.1%).
Median home value: $171,800 (±$3,464) in Council Bluffs, lower than in Pottawattamie County ($195,700).
Median household income: $64,578 (±$2,842) in Council Bluffs, lower than in Pottawattamie County ($73,602).
- Types of homes in Council Bluffs
- Renters and owners in Council Bluffs
- Home values in Council Bluffs
- Income and affordability in Council Bluffs
Housing in Council Bluffs at a glance
- Median rent: $1,030 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $1,054 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 45.3% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 36.9% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $64,578 median household income
- Home values: $171,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,420 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $3,063 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 19.3% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 52.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 65.7% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 1.6% rental vacancy rate
- Heating fuel: 78.4% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 17.9 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 527 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +0.4% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 24.2% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.3% of homes have more than 1 person per room
- Fair Market Rent: $1,310 Small Area FMR, 2 bedrooms (ZIP 51501)
Council Bluffs against Pottawattamie County, its state and the nation
| Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 62,586 (±40) | 93,424 (exact) | 3,210,507 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 27,616 (±333) | 40,083 (±98) | 1,437,699 (±523) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 36.9% (±1.8 points) | 30.1% (±1.5 points) | 28.3% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,030 (±$35) | $1,018 (±$33) | $972 (±$6) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $64,578 (±$2,842) | $73,602 (±$1,625) | $75,059 (±$418) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $171,800 (±$3,464) | $195,700 (±$4,560) | $208,000 (±$1,141) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $3,063 (±$139) | $3,067 (±$103) | $2,897 (±$13) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 65.7% (±2.9 points) | 65.9% (±2.2 points) | 61.5% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 17.9 minutes (±0.7) | 19.8 minutes (±0.5) | 19.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 84.7% (±1.8 points) | 86.2% (±1.3 points) | 88.9% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 38.7 years (±0.8) | 40.1 years (±0.3) | 38.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Council Bluffs covers 43.0 square miles of land, about 1,457 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Council Bluffs has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 62,355 (±34) | 62,586 (±40) | +0.4% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 26,852 (±292) | 27,616 (±333) | +2.8% | Measurable increase |
| Median gross rent | $848 (±$22) | $1,030 (±$35) | +21.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $120,100 (±$2,386) | $171,800 (±$3,464) | +43.0% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $53,524 (±$1,959) | $64,578 (±$2,842) | +20.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,178 (±$22) | $1,420 (±$30) | +20.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $2,533 (±$44) | $3,063 (±$139) | +20.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 38.7% (±1.9 points) | 36.9% (±1.8 points) | −1.8 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 2.2% (±1.0 points) | 1.6% (±1.1 points) | −0.6 percentage points | Not 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 Council Bluffs
In 2025, the Council Bluffs Police Department reported 527 violent and 2,230 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Across Pottawattamie County, the departments that report recorded 413 violent and 1,747 property crimes per 100,000 residents that year.
ZIP codes in Council Bluffs
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51501 | 100% | 34,618 | $1,059 | $152,400 | $59,843 |
| 51503 | 16% | 37,972 | $991 | $262,300 | $79,010 |
A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.
Places near Council Bluffs
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake | 4.9 mi | $1,323 | $169,400 | 9.0% |
| Bellevue | 7.7 mi | $1,226 | $247,000 | 34.5% |
| Offutt AFB | 8.7 mi | $1,666 | — | 99.0% |
| Crescent | 8.9 mi | — | $283,900 | 2.7% |
| Ralston | 9.9 mi | $1,215 | $230,800 | 36.7% |
| Omaha | 11 mi | $1,187 | $245,500 | 42.6% |
| McClelland | 11 mi | — | $182,800 | 8.2% |
| La Vista | 12 mi | $1,317 | $260,900 | 48.4% |
Places in Iowa most like Council Bluffs
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | $978 | $166,400 | $66,200 | 37.1% |
| Sioux City | $976 | $173,600 | $68,906 | 34.7% |
| Dubuque | $948 | $204,800 | $65,845 | 34.2% |
| Waterloo | $923 | $152,600 | $57,480 | 37.9% |
| Cedar Rapids | $967 | $187,100 | $70,424 | 31.5% |
| Washington | $968 | $152,300 | $55,373 | 36.8% |
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 Council Bluffs, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,167 | $1,219 | $1,450 | $1,924 | $2,179 |
HUD also publishes a Small Area Fair Market Rent for each ZIP code in the area; the Fair Market Rent page for this place lists its ZIP codes.
HUD income limits for Council Bluffs, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $23,950 | $39,900 | $63,850 |
| 2 people | $27,400 | $45,600 | $73,000 |
| 3 people | $30,800 | $51,300 | $82,100 |
| 4 people | $34,200 | $57,000 | $91,200 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $61,600 | $98,500 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $66,150 | $105,800 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $70,700 | $113,100 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $75,250 | $120,400 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $114,000.
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 Council Bluffs
What is the average rent in Council Bluffs, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Council Bluffs is $1,030 (±$35) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Council Bluffs?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Council Bluffs, IA is $819 (±$42) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Council Bluffs rent-burdened?
45.3% of renting households in Council Bluffs pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Council Bluffs?
Council Bluffs has an estimated 9,590 (±520) renting households, 36.9% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Council Bluffs?
The median household income in Council Bluffs is $64,578 (±$2,842) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Council Bluffs, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $171,800 (±$3,464) for owner-occupied homes in Council Bluffs (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Council Bluffs growing?
In Council Bluffs, the number of residents went from 62,355 in 2015–2019 to 62,586 in 2020–2024 (+0.4%), a measurable increase.
What ZIP codes are in Council Bluffs?
The ZIP codes that cover Council Bluffs are 51501, 51503.
What is the median rent in ZIP code 51501?
The median gross rent in ZIP Code Tabulation Area 51501 is $1,059 (±$34) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Council Bluffs city, Iowa
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA HUD Metro FMR Area
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Council Bluffs Police Department (ORI IA0780100)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
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 Council Bluffs city, Iowa (place:16860, 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.
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 .