Louisa County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Louisa County, Iowa had an estimated 10,630 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.9 percent since the 2020 census base of 10,839, across 402 square miles. County output reached $930.4 m in 2024, 211 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 3 7(a) approvals worth $4.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Louisa County
How many people live in Louisa County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202410,678
- Households4,237
- Average household size2.52
- Median household income$77,354
- Median age41.9
- Median gross rent$775 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$150,100
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher16.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree2.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over7,539
- Population under 182,347
- Share under 1822.0 percent
- Population 65 and over2,146
- Share 65 and over20.1 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 646,185
- Civilian labor force5,453
- Unemployment rate3.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.5 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties68th of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2440th of 3,222
Louisa County is the 68th largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 1.9 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.0 percent against 20.1 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Louisa County
Is Louisa County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202410,630
- Census 2020 base population10,839
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.93 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202490
- Births, 2024117
- Deaths, 2024104
- Natural change, 202413
- Net domestic migration, 202427
- Net international migration, 202451
- Total net migration, 202478
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-350
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2481st of 3,144
The county has lost 1.93 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Louisa County
Where are people moving to Louisa County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving207
- People arriving, from those returns381
- Tax returns filed by households leaving297
- Net household movement-90
- Adjusted gross income arriving$10.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-3.1 m
- Average income of an arriving household$50,430
- Average income of a leaving household$45,424
- Largest single originMuscatine County (71 households)
- Largest single destinationMuscatine County (78 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muscatine County | 71 | 134 | $3.9 m |
| Des Moines County | 21 | 34 | $1.1 m |
Households arriving report $5,006 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Muscatine County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Louisa County
What is the Louisa County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$930.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$960.8 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-3.2 percent
- GDP change over five years35.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Iowa areas BEA publishes56th of 99
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1898th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$87,134
Output grew -3.2 percent in the latest year and 35.8 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.
Louisa County
Employment by industry in Louisa County
- Covered employment, annual average3,891
- Establishments reporting281
- Average annual pay$52,348
- Average weekly wage$1,007
- Manufacturing, employment1,712
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$60,048
- Health care and social assistance, employment321
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$31,561
- Retail trade, employment174
- Retail trade, average annual pay$30,381
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment133
- Administrative and support and waste management services, average annual pay$48,914
- Accommodation and food services, employment123
- Transportation and warehousing, employment109
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,712 | 12 | $60,048 |
| Health care and social assistance | 321 | 38 | $31,561 |
| Retail trade | 174 | 22 | $30,381 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 133 | 16 | $48,914 |
| Accommodation and food services | 123 | 15 | $11,265 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 109 | 18 | $62,263 |
| Construction | 92 | 24 | $47,490 |
| Other services, except public administration | 56 | 18 | $42,646 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,712 jobs, 44.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Louisa County
How many businesses are in Louisa County?
- Establishments, all industries211
- Employment at those establishments3,089
- Annual payroll$164.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.8
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.
Louisa County
Building permits in Louisa County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20249
- Declared construction value permitted$2.7 m
- Single family units authorized7
- Multifamily units authorized2
- Multifamily share of units22.2 percent
- Average declared value per unit$298,961
- Units authorized per 1,000 households2.1
Single-family homes are 77.8 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Louisa County
SBA loans in Louisa County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded3
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.8 m
- Average 7(a) approval$1,606,333
- Median 7(a) approval$369,000
- Largest single approval$4,400,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)28
- Jobs per approval9.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active3
- Distinct industries receiving approvals3
- Median 7(a) term119 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer33.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Louisa County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Louisa County
Do SBA loans in Louisa County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded1
- Paid in full1
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
- Status: Cancelled1
Only 1 loan has 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.
Louisa County
SBA lending by place in Louisa County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- Columbus Junction, approvals2
- Wapello, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Columbus Junction | 2 | $4,769,000 |
| Wapello | 1 | $50,000 |
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Louisa County
How large is Louisa County?
- Land area402 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties94th of 99
- Width, east to west28.1 mi
- Height, north to south24.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land27
- Establishments per square mile0.52
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.
Louisa County
Flood risk in Louisa County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Louisa County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 190193
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book8
- Of those, participating in the NFIP7
- NFIP participation rate87.5 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Louisa 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 Louisa County (community 190193), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Louisa 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. 87.5 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 Louisa 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 Louisa County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202410,678
- Households4,237
- Average household size2.52
- Median household income$77,354
- Median age41.9
Common questions
Louisa County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Louisa County, Iowa?
The Census Bureau estimates 10,630 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 10,678, in 4,237 households, ranking 68th of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Louisa County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.93 percent since the 2020 census base of 10,839, to 10,630 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 117 births against 104 deaths, with net migration of 78. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Louisa County?
$77,354. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $150,100, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $775 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Louisa County?
211 establishments, employing 3,089 people with an annual payroll of $164.9 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 Louisa County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,712 jobs, 44.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,891 jobs at an average annual pay of $52,348, or $1,007 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Louisa County?
3 7(a) approvals totaling $4.8 m since FY2020, across 3 lenders, with a median approval of $369,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Louisa County?
9 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.7 m. Multifamily was 22.2 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Louisa 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.
Where do people moving to Louisa County come from?
The largest single origin is Muscatine County, with 71 households. Arriving households report an average income of $50,430 against $45,424 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Louisa 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 Louisa 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.
Louisa County
Cities and places in Louisa.
9 Census places lie wholly or partly in Louisa County. All 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Junction | city | 2,110 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Wapello | city | 1,765 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Morning Sun | city | 802 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Grandview | city | 449 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Letts | city | 361 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Columbus City | city | 323 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fredonia | city | 240 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Oakville | city | 204 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cotter | city | 31 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby