Housing data for Ralston, IA
Ralston, IA has an estimated 61 residents and 29 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Carroll County.
16.0% of households rent.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 61 (±27)
- Housing units
- 29 (±10)
- Households that rent
- 16.0%
- Residents since 2015–2019
- −4.7%
What stands out in Ralston
Median real estate taxes: $633 (±$508) in Ralston, lower than in Carroll County ($1,916).
Median home value: $83,000 (±$31,506) in Ralston, lower than in Carroll County ($176,000).
Housing in Ralston at a glance
- Rent burden: 50.0% of renters pay 30% or more of income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Renters and owners: 16.0% of households rent (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Income and affordability: $62,917 median household income (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Home values: $83,000 median home value (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Homeowner costs: $870 median monthly cost with a mortgage (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Property taxes: $633 median real estate taxes a year (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Types of homes: 0.0% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Bedrooms: 51.7% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Age of homes: 93.0% 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: 92.0% heat with utility gas (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Commute and cars: 20.7 minutes average trip to work (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Growth: −4.7% residents since 2015–2019 (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- How long people stay: 20.0% 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)
Ralston against Carroll County, its state and the nation
| Ralston | Carroll County | Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 61 (±27) | 20,594 (exact) | 3,210,507 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 29 (±10) | 9,560 (±54) | 1,437,699 (±523) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 16.0% (±23.1 points) | 22.9% (±3.0 points) | 28.3% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | — | $731 (±$18) | $972 (±$6) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $62,917 (±$34,029) | $72,930 (±$2,443) | $75,059 (±$418) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $83,000 (±$31,506) | $176,000 (±$9,631) | $208,000 (±$1,141) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $633 (±$508) | $1,916 (±$90) | $2,897 (±$13) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 93.0% (±39.5 points) | 72.4% (±5.2 points) | 61.5% (±0.4 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 20.7 minutes (±12.2) | 15.7 minutes (±1.2) | 19.8 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 96.0% (±9.7 points) | 87.3% (±2.1 points) | 88.9% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 38.8 years (±22.3) | 41.1 years (±0.6) | 38.6 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years |
Ralston covers 2.0 square miles of land, about 31 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Ralston has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 64 (±26) | 61 (±27) | −4.7% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 39 (±17) | 29 (±10) | −25.6% | Not a measurable change |
| Median home value | $54,300 (±$10,445) | $83,000 (±$31,506) | +52.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $1,063 (±$429) | $870 (±$598) | −18.2% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $400 (±$201) | $633 (±$508) | +58.3% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 9.1% (±11.8 points) | 16.0% (±23.1 points) | +6.9 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0% (±100.0 points) | 0.0% (±92.0 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 Carroll County
Ralston has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for Carroll County as a whole.
In 2025, the police departments that report for Carroll County recorded 45 violent and 643 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.
ZIP codes in Ralston
| ZIP code | Share of the ZIP’s land in this place | Residents | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51459 | 100% | 54 | — | $75,000 | $63,333 |
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 Ralston
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scranton | 4.4 mi | $825 | $86,300 | 32.7% |
| Glidden | 5.1 mi | $525 | $154,200 | 23.5% |
| Lidderdale | 9.7 mi | $750 | $123,400 | 16.9% |
| Lanesboro | 10 mi | $475 | $70,000 | 14.8% |
| Willey | 11 mi | — | $100,000 | 10.5% |
| Churdan | 11 mi | $925 | $74,700 | 16.2% |
| Coon Rapids | 12 mi | $780 | $134,100 | 26.3% |
| Carroll | 12 mi | $722 | $188,700 | 28.2% |
HUD Fair Market Rent for Ralston, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $796 | $801 | $927 | $1,174 | $1,239 |
HUD income limits for Ralston, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $21,850 | $36,400 | $58,200 |
| 2 people | $24,950 | $41,600 | $66,500 |
| 3 people | $28,050 | $46,800 | $74,800 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $51,950 | $83,100 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $56,150 | $89,750 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $60,300 | $96,400 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $64,450 | $103,050 |
| 8 people | $55,720 | $68,600 | $109,700 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Carroll County, IA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $103,900.
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 Ralston
Is Ralston growing?
In Ralston, the number of residents went from 64 in 2015–2019 to 61 in 2020–2024 (−4.7%), not a measurable change.
What ZIP codes are in Ralston?
The ZIP code that covers Ralston is 51459.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Ralston city, Iowa
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Carroll County, IA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Carroll County, IA
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
- 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 Ralston city, Iowa (place:65505, 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 .