Housing data for Defiance, IA
Defiance, IA has an estimated 251 residents and 123 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Shelby County.
10.1% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $770 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 251 (±78)
- Housing units
- 123 (±37)
- Households that rent
- 10.1%
- Median gross rent
- $770
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +23.0%
What stands out in Defiance
Median real estate taxes: $927 (±$131) in Defiance, lower than in Shelby County ($2,094).
Households that rent: 10.1% (±8.8 points) in Defiance, lower than in Shelby County (22.2%).
Working from home: 4.0% (±3.4 points) in Defiance, lower than in Shelby County (12.8%).
Median home value: $101,600 (±$31,190) in Defiance, lower than in Shelby County ($164,000).
Housing in Defiance at a glance
- Median rent: $770 median gross rent a month (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 41.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 10.1% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $53,542 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $101,600 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,028 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $927 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 0.8% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Bedrooms: 75.6% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 78.9% of homes were built before 1980 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 67.2% heat with utility gas (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Commute and cars: 18.7 minutes average trip to work (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Growth: +23.0% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- How long people stay: 15.1% moved in since 2020 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Crowding and facilities: 0.0% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Defiance against Shelby County, its state and the nation
| Defiance | Shelby County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 251 (±78) | 11,778 (exact) | 3,210,507 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 123 (±37) | 5,441 (±34) | 1,437,699 (±523) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 10.1% (±8.8 points) | 22.2% (±3.6 points) | 28.3% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $770 (±$166) | $783 (±$63) | $972 (±$6) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $53,542 (±$14,672) | $72,738 (±$9,091) | $75,059 (±$418) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $101,600 (±$31,190) | $164,000 (±$7,530) | $208,000 (±$1,141) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $927 (±$131) | $2,094 (±$154) | $2,897 (±$13) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 78.9% (±24.0 points) | 79.0% (±5.3 points) | 61.5% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 18.7 minutes (±4.4) | 18.5 minutes (±1.6) | 19.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 91.6% (±7.3 points) | 88.3% (±2.4 points) | 88.9% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 36.2 years (±11.9) | 44.3 years (±0.7) | 38.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Defiance covers 0.4 square miles of land, about 673 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Defiance has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 204 (±48) | 251 (±78) | +23.0% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 114 (±23) | 123 (±37) | +7.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $550 (±$135) | $770 (±$166) | +40.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $77,500 (±$17,866) | $101,600 (±$31,190) | +31.1% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median household income | $47,083 (±$10,731) | $53,542 (±$14,672) | +13.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $944 (±$81) | $1,028 (±$130) | +8.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $780 (±$121) | $927 (±$131) | +18.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 14.4% (±10.3 points) | 10.1% (±8.8 points) | −4.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±65.9 points) | 0.0% (±75.1 points) | 0.0 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 Shelby County
Defiance has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Shelby County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Shelby County recorded 119 violent and 136 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 Defiance
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earling | 5.3 mi | $815 | $125,000 | 23.9% |
| Buck Grove | 7.0 mi | — | $55,000 | 0.0% |
| Manilla | 7.2 mi | $675 | $88,300 | 13.2% |
| Irwin | 7.3 mi | $705 | $72,900 | 16.8% |
| Kirkman | 7.7 mi | $1,167 | $118,800 | 24.0% |
| Westphalia | 7.8 mi | — | $97,400 | 27.4% |
| Panama | 9.8 mi | $940 | $142,200 | 23.0% |
| Arion | 11 mi | $583 | $53,300 | 42.9% |
Places in Iowa most like Defiance
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packwood | $722 | $80,000 | $51,500 | 14.3% |
| Ashton | $900 | $98,800 | $57,375 | 11.8% |
| Floyd | $700 | $107,700 | $63,393 | 14.8% |
| Union | $875 | $74,600 | $55,625 | 13.2% |
| Morning Sun | $869 | $102,200 | $56,350 | 16.5% |
| Manilla | $675 | $88,300 | $65,156 | 13.2% |
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 Defiance, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $688 | $838 | $927 | $1,214 | $1,218 |
HUD income limits for Defiance, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $20,900 | $34,800 | $55,650 |
| 2 people | $23,850 | $39,750 | $63,600 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $44,700 | $71,550 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $49,650 | $79,450 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $53,650 | $85,850 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $57,600 | $92,200 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $61,600 | $98,550 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $65,550 | $104,900 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Shelby County, IA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $99,300.
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 Defiance
What is the average home value in Defiance, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $101,600 (±$31,190) for owner-occupied homes in Defiance (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Defiance?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Defiance, IA is $1,028 (±$130) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Defiance?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Defiance, IA is $927 (±$131) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Defiance growing?
In Defiance, the number of residents went from 204 in 2015–2019 to 251 in 2020–2024 (+23.0%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Defiance city, Iowa
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Shelby County, IA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Shelby County, IA
- 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 Defiance city, Iowa (place:19585, 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 .