Housing data for Ely, IA
Ely, IA has an estimated 2,186 residents and 839 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Linn County.
18.2% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $936 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,186 (±323)
- Housing units
- 839 (±103)
- Households that rent
- 18.2%
- Median gross rent
- $936
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −1.8%
What stands out in Ely
Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 5.8% (±5.5 points) in Ely, lower than in Linn County (18.7%).
Median home value: $311,900 (±$34,634) in Ely, higher than in Linn County ($214,300).
Homes built before 1980: 21.1% (±8.2 points) in Ely, lower than in Linn County (53.2%).
Working from home: 7.1% (±2.7 points) in Ely, lower than in Linn County (14.7%).
Housing in Ely at a glance
- Median rent: $936 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $938 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Rent burden: 32.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 18.2% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $105,882 median household income
- Home values: $311,900 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,813 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $4,623 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 5.8% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 73.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 21.1% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 8.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 75.5% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 21.1 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: −1.8% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 28.1% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Ely against Linn County, its state and the nation
| Ely | Linn County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,186 (±323) | 230,004 (exact) | 3,210,507 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 839 (±103) | 103,104 (±79) | 1,437,699 (±523) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 18.2% (±6.5 points) | 26.5% (±1.0 points) | 28.3% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $936 (±$228) | $945 (±$39) | $972 (±$6) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $105,882 (±$21,935) | $77,649 (±$2,246) | $75,059 (±$418) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $311,900 (±$34,634) | $214,300 (±$4,605) | $208,000 (±$1,141) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $4,623 (±$461) | $3,547 (±$64) | $2,897 (±$13) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 21.1% (±8.2 points) | 53.2% (±1.5 points) | 61.5% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 21.1 minutes (±3.0) | 19.3 minutes (±0.5) | 19.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 94.7% (±2.6 points) | 91.6% (±0.6 points) | 88.9% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 38.1 years (±2.3) | 39.0 years (±0.3) | 38.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Ely covers 1.7 square miles of land, about 1,297 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Ely has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,227 (±246) | 2,186 (±323) | −1.8% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 786 (±93) | 839 (±103) | +6.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $737 (±$57) | $936 (±$228) | +27.0% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $216,400 (±$8,946) | $311,900 (±$34,634) | +44.1% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $94,009 (±$9,503) | $105,882 (±$21,935) | +12.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,616 (±$109) | $1,813 (±$413) | +12.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $3,273 (±$215) | $4,623 (±$461) | +41.2% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 21.2% (±6.0 points) | 18.2% (±6.5 points) | −3.0 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 9.4% (±10.3 points) | 8.0% (±12.3 points) | −1.4 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 Linn County
Ely has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Linn County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Linn County recorded 206 violent and 1,479 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 Ely
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shueyville | 4.1 mi | — | $574,800 | 0.7% |
| Bertram | 5.5 mi | — | $296,700 | 13.2% |
| Swisher | 6.1 mi | $1,114 | $260,300 | 17.5% |
| Solon | 6.8 mi | $1,127 | $309,400 | 20.8% |
| Cedar Rapids | 7.5 mi | $967 | $187,100 | 31.5% |
| Mount Vernon | 8.8 mi | $780 | $245,200 | 13.7% |
| North Liberty | 9.5 mi | $1,246 | $303,800 | 33.1% |
| Fairfax | 10 mi | $1,366 | $274,500 | 7.6% |
Places in Iowa most like Ely
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granger | $843 | $329,400 | $112,404 | 19.2% |
| Norwalk | $838 | $303,100 | $102,722 | 17.5% |
| Peosta | $1,056 | $336,000 | $120,833 | 12.3% |
| Elkhart | $836 | $253,900 | $84,554 | 18.9% |
| Solon | $1,127 | $309,400 | $113,295 | 20.8% |
| Urbana | $860 | $228,900 | $115,655 | 11.8% |
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 Ely, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $734 | $806 | $1,054 | $1,459 | $1,762 |
HUD income limits for Ely, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $22,150 | $36,900 | $59,000 |
| 2 people | $25,300 | $42,150 | $67,400 |
| 3 people | $28,450 | $47,400 | $75,850 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $52,650 | $84,250 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $56,900 | $91,000 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $61,100 | $97,750 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $65,300 | $104,500 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $69,500 | $111,250 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $105,300.
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 Ely
What is the average rent in Ely, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Ely is $936 (±$228) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How many renters are there in Ely?
Ely has an estimated 150 (±58) renting households, 18.2% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Ely?
The median household income in Ely is $105,882 (±$21,935) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Ely, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $311,900 (±$34,634) for owner-occupied homes in Ely (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Ely?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Ely, IA is $1,813 (±$413) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
How much are property taxes in Ely?
The median real estate tax paid by homeowners in Ely, IA is $4,623 (±$461) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Ely growing?
In Ely, the number of residents went from 2,227 in 2015–2019 to 2,186 in 2020–2024 (−1.8%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ely city, Iowa
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Cedar Rapids, IA HUD Metro FMR Area
- 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 Ely city, Iowa (place:25365, 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 .