Ida County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Ida County, Iowa had an estimated 6,810 residents on July 1, 2024, down 2.9 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,010, across 432 square miles. County output reached $745.6 m in 2024, 244 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 25 7(a) approvals worth $4.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Ida County
How many people live in Ida County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20246,911
- Households3,050
- Average household size2.27
- Median household income$63,073
- Median age42.0
- Median gross rent$696 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$108,900
- Home value to household income1.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher21.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over4,707
- Population under 181,680
- Share under 1824.3 percent
- Population 65 and over1,533
- Share 65 and over22.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 643,698
- Civilian labor force3,586
- Unemployment rate2.4 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over68.6 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties92nd of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2744th of 3,222
Ida County is the 92nd largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 1.7 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 24.3 percent against 22.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Ida County
Is Ida County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20246,810
- Census 2020 base population7,010
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.85 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-25
- Births, 202484
- Deaths, 202480
- Natural change, 20244
- Net domestic migration, 2024-38
- Net international migration, 20249
- Total net migration, 2024-29
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-145
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2712th of 3,144
The county has lost 2.85 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. More people left than moved in during 2024 and births over deaths did not make up the difference, so the population fell.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Ida County
Where are people moving to Ida County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving130
- People arriving, from those returns235
- Tax returns filed by households leaving158
- Net household movement-28
- Adjusted gross income arriving$5.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-2.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$43,815
- Average income of a leaving household$48,741
- Largest single destinationSac County (26 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $4,926 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Ida County
What is the Ida County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$745.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$752.0 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-0.8 percent
- GDP change over five years19.4 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Iowa areas BEA publishes68th of 99
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2080th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$107,888
Output grew -0.8 percent in the latest year and 19.4 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Ida County
Employment by industry in Ida County
- Covered employment, annual average3,584
- Establishments reporting302
- Average annual pay$60,392
- Average weekly wage$1,161
- Manufacturing, employment1,469
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$76,363
- Retail trade, employment256
- Retail trade, average annual pay$27,871
- Finance and insurance, employment191
- Finance and insurance, average annual pay$72,432
- Wholesale trade, employment152
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$75,066
- Construction, employment149
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment111
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,469 | 16 | $76,363 |
| Retail trade | 256 | 28 | $27,871 |
| Finance and insurance | 191 | 22 | $72,432 |
| Wholesale trade | 152 | 24 | $75,066 |
| Construction | 149 | 22 | $71,775 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 111 | 24 | $47,810 |
| Accommodation and food services | 94 | 16 | $17,959 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 46 | 12 | $60,963 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,469 jobs, 41.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Ida County
How many businesses are in Ida County?
- Establishments, all industries244
- Employment at those establishments3,275
- Annual payroll$184.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents35.3
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ida County
Building permits in Ida County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20242
- Declared construction value permitted$770,650
- Single family units authorized2
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$385,325
- Units authorized per 1,000 households0.7
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Ida County
SBA loans in Ida County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded25
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$192,076
- Median 7(a) approval$86,700
- 10th percentile approval$19,980
- 90th percentile approval$303,000
- Largest single approval$1,830,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)115
- Jobs per approval4.6
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active2
- Distinct industries receiving approvals15
- Median 7(a) term156 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer36.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms9
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter12
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals8.0 percent
- Most active lenderUnited Bank of Iowa (23)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$1.0 m
- Average 504 approval$1,006,000
- Median 504 approval$1,006,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval7.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.0
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$5.8 m
The average approval of $192,076 sits well above the median of $86,700, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. 36.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ida County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Ida County
Do SBA loans in Ida County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded8
- Paid in full7
- Charged off1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure15
- Status: Cancelled2
- Status: Charged off1
- Status: Paid in full7
Only 8 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ida County
SBA lending by place in Ida County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending4
- Ida Grove, approvals20
- Holstein, approvals2
- Battle Creek, approvals2
- Galva, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Ida Grove | 20 | $4,069,900 |
| Holstein | 2 | $382,000 |
| Battle Creek | 2 | $150,000 |
| Galva | 1 | $200,000 |
Ida Grove accounts for 20 approvals against 2 in Holstein. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Ida County
How large is Ida County?
- Land area432 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties86th of 99
- Width, east to west21.4 mi
- Height, north to south24.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land16
- Establishments per square mile0.56
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Ida County
Flood risk in Ida County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Ida County, unincorporated areasNot participating, community 190877
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate83.3 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Ida County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Ida County (community 190877), does not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Ida County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 83.3 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Ida County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Ida County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20246,911
- Households3,050
- Average household size2.27
- Median household income$63,073
- Median age42.0
Common questions
Ida County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Ida County, Iowa?
The Census Bureau estimates 6,810 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 6,911, in 3,050 households, ranking 92nd of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Ida County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.85 percent since the 2020 census base of 7,010, to 6,810 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 84 births against 80 deaths, with net migration of -29. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Ida County?
$63,073. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $108,900, which is 1.7 times income, and median gross rent is $696 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Ida County?
244 establishments, employing 3,275 people with an annual payroll of $184.6 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Ida County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,469 jobs, 41.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,584 jobs at an average annual pay of $60,392, or $1,161 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Ida County?
25 7(a) approvals totaling $4.8 m since FY2020, across 2 lenders, with a median approval of $86,700, plus 1 504 approvals worth $1.0 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Ida County?
2 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $770,650. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Ida County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Ida County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Ida County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Ida County
Cities and places in Ida.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Ida County. All 5 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ida Grove | city | 1,967 | 20 | Wholly in this county |
| Holstein | city | 1,600 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Battle Creek | city | 803 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Galva | city | 447 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Arthur | city | 252 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby