What percentage of people rent in Council Bluffs, IA?

Name: Renters and owners in Council Bluffs, IA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

36.9% (±1.8 points) of the occupied homes in Council Bluffs, IA are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 9,590 renting households against 16,433 that own their home.

In Council Bluffs, the share of households that rent went from 38.7% in 2015–2019 to 36.9% in 2020–2024 (−1.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 36.9% (±1.8 points)
Renting households: 9,590 (±520)
Median renter income: $41,731 (±$3,330)

Who rents and who owns in Council Bluffs

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Council Bluffs	Pottawattamie County	Iowa	United States
Renter-occupied share	36.9% (±1.8 points)	30.1% (±1.5 points)	28.3% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	9,590 (±520)	11,331 (±593)	372,311 (±3,635)	45,017,354
Owning households	16,433 (±492)	26,311 (±588)	943,396 (±5,414)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.1 (±0.1)	2.1 (±0.1)	2.0 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$41,731 (±$3,330)	$42,408 (±$3,093)	$43,297 (±$758)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$81,638 (±$5,037)	$89,949 (±$3,697)	$91,638 (±$512)	$100,009

In Council Bluffs, the renter share is higher than in Pottawattamie County (30.1%).

It is also higher than in Iowa (28.3%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Pottawattamie County, Council Bluffs ranks 1 of 14 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 65 of 943.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Council Bluffs has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	38.7% (±1.9 points)	36.9% (±1.8 points)	−1.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$848 (±$22)	$1,030 (±$35)	+21.5%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$53,524 (±$1,959)	$64,578 (±$2,842)	+20.7%	No measurable change after inflation

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.

Households that rent in places near Council Bluffs

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Council Bluffs
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Council Bluffs	—	36.9% (±1.8 points)	—
Carter Lake	4.9 mi	9.0% (±5.2 points)	Lower
Bellevue	7.7 mi	34.5% (±1.9 points)	Not measurably different
Offutt AFB	8.7 mi	99.0% (±1.0 points)	Higher
Crescent	8.9 mi	2.7% (±3.1 points)	Lower
Ralston	9.9 mi	36.7% (±5.0 points)	Not measurably different
Omaha	11 mi	42.6% (±0.7 points)	Higher
McClelland	11 mi	8.2% (±10.1 points)	Lower
La Vista	12 mi	48.4% (±3.3 points)	Higher

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Carter Lake, IA (9.0%), Crescent, IA (2.7%), McClelland, IA (8.2%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Offutt AFB, NE (99.0%), Omaha, NE (42.6%), La Vista, NE (48.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Pottawattamie County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Council Bluffs	36.9% (±1.8 points)
2	Oakland	36.7% (±7.8 points)
3	Avoca	32.0% (±7.6 points)
4	Walnut	27.7% (±10.1 points)
5	Macedonia	27.5% (±13.1 points)
6	Neola	25.5% (±7.5 points)
7	Treynor	20.4% (±9.7 points)

Showing 7 of 14 places in Pottawattamie County, ranked from highest to lowest.

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

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).

Is renting growing in Council Bluffs?

In Council Bluffs, the share of households that rent went from 38.7% in 2015–2019 to 36.9% in 2020–2024 (−1.8 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Council Bluffs?

A renting household in Council Bluffs has 2.1 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Council Bluffs?

The median renting household in Council Bluffs, IA has an income of $41,731 (±$3,330) a year, against $81,638 for households that own their home.

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) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) 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 DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

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.