Housing data for Onawa, IA
Onawa, IA has an estimated 2,839 residents and 1,369 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Monona County.
26.3% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $1,037 a month.
Its population grew measurably since 2015–2019 (+1.2%).
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,839 (±17)
- Housing units
- 1,369 (±98)
- Households that rent
- 26.3%
- Median gross rent
- $1,037
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +1.2%
What stands out in Onawa
Working from home: 1.5% (±2.1 points) in Onawa, lower than in Monona County (7.7%).
Households that moved in since 2020: 25.3% (±7.9 points) in Onawa, higher than in Monona County (16.0%).
Households without a vehicle: 9.2% (±4.6 points) in Onawa, higher than in Monona County (4.2%).
Median real estate taxes: $1,888 (±$259) in Onawa, higher than in Monona County ($1,467).
Housing in Onawa at a glance
- Median rent: $1,037 median gross rent a month
- Rent burden: 53.7% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 26.3% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $62,143 median household income
- Home values: $145,800 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,218 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $1,888 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 10.6% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 54.4% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 73.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 64.4% heat with utility gas
- Commute and cars: 18.4 minutes average trip to work
- Growth: +1.2% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 25.3% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 2.4% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Onawa against Monona County, its state and the nation
| Onawa | Monona County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,839 (±17) | 8,557 (exact) | 3,210,507 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 1,369 (±98) | 4,372 (±43) | 1,437,699 (±523) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 26.3% (±7.5 points) | 24.3% (±3.3 points) | 28.3% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $1,037 (±$184) | $855 (±$72) | $972 (±$6) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $62,143 (±$15,539) | $68,377 (±$6,651) | $75,059 (±$418) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $145,800 (±$18,282) | $142,900 (±$13,872) | $208,000 (±$1,141) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $1,888 (±$259) | $1,467 (±$114) | $2,897 (±$13) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 73.4% (±12.9 points) | 74.0% (±5.5 points) | 61.5% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 18.4 minutes (±3.3) | 22.6 minutes (±1.8) | 19.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 84.3% (±5.6 points) | 84.9% (±2.5 points) | 88.9% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 35.5 years (±3.0) | 43.7 years (±0.8) | 38.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Onawa covers 5.3 square miles of land, about 539 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Onawa has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,804 (±18) | 2,839 (±17) | +1.2% | Measurable increase |
| Housing units | 1,540 (±83) | 1,369 (±98) | −11.1% | Measurable decrease |
| Median gross rent | $611 (±$36) | $1,037 (±$184) | +69.7% | Up after inflation |
| Median home value | $83,900 (±$14,719) | $145,800 (±$18,282) | +73.8% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $36,406 (±$6,734) | $62,143 (±$15,539) | +70.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $940 (±$107) | $1,218 (±$98) | +29.6% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $1,235 (±$207) | $1,888 (±$259) | +52.9% | Up after inflation |
| Households that rent | 41.5% (±8.0 points) | 26.3% (±7.5 points) | −15.2 percentage points | Measurable decrease |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.9% (±8.4 points) | 0.0% (±7.3 points) | −5.9 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 Monona County
Onawa has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Monona County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Monona County recorded 96 violent and 193 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 Onawa
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turin | 6.4 mi | — | $95,000 | 63.9% |
| Blencoe | 6.7 mi | $857 | $87,500 | 29.9% |
| Quinnebaugh Township | 6.7 mi | — | $327,800 | 0.0% |
| Whiting | 7.6 mi | $923 | $113,800 | 35.0% |
| Decatur | 8.2 mi | $595 | $104,800 | 25.9% |
| Castana | 9.8 mi | $638 | $74,400 | 7.4% |
| Anderson Township | 13 mi | — | — | 41.9% |
| Hornick | 14 mi | — | $113,300 | 5.3% |
Places in Iowa most like Onawa
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanborn | $954 | $168,500 | $59,417 | 27.5% |
| Lenox | $1,003 | $111,400 | $61,000 | 23.8% |
| Muscatine | $974 | $153,600 | $58,117 | 33.5% |
| Burlington | $924 | $114,300 | $59,000 | 29.4% |
| Paullina | $864 | $132,600 | $61,250 | 24.8% |
| Bloomfield | $951 | $132,000 | $60,769 | 31.9% |
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 Onawa, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $688 | $709 | $927 | $1,162 | $1,549 |
HUD income limits for Onawa, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $19,800 | $32,950 | $52,750 |
| 2 people | $22,600 | $37,650 | $60,250 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $42,350 | $67,800 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $47,050 | $75,300 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $50,850 | $81,350 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $54,600 | $87,350 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $58,350 | $93,400 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $62,150 | $99,400 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Monona County, IA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $89,300.
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 Onawa
What is the average rent in Onawa, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Onawa is $1,037 (±$184) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
Are renters in Onawa rent-burdened?
53.7% of renting households in Onawa 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 Onawa?
Onawa has an estimated 330 (±100) renting households, 26.3% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Onawa?
The median household income in Onawa is $62,143 (±$15,539) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Onawa, IA?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $145,800 (±$18,282) for owner-occupied homes in Onawa (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average mortgage payment in Onawa?
The Census Bureau publishes total owner costs rather than the mortgage alone: the median for owners with a mortgage in Onawa, IA is $1,218 (±$98) a month, including taxes, insurance and utilities.
Is Onawa growing?
In Onawa, the number of residents went from 2,804 in 2015–2019 to 2,839 in 2020–2024 (+1.2%), a measurable increase.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Onawa city, Iowa
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Monona County, IA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Monona 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 Onawa city, Iowa (place:59115, 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 .