Lucas County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Lucas County, Iowa had an estimated 8,758 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.4 percent since the 2020 census base of 8,635, across 431 square miles. County output reached $362.4 m in 2024, 187 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Lucas County
How many people live in Lucas County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20248,716
- Households3,708
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$61,793
- Median age41.9
- Median gross rent$709 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$120,200
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over6,098
- Population under 182,049
- Share under 1823.5 percent
- Population 65 and over1,917
- Share 65 and over22.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,750
- Civilian labor force4,165
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.5 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties83rd of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2589th of 3,222
Lucas County is the 83rd 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 23.5 percent against 22.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lucas County
Is Lucas County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20248,758
- Census 2020 base population8,635
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.42 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-17
- Births, 2024111
- Deaths, 2024129
- Natural change, 2024-18
- Net domestic migration, 2024-9
- Net international migration, 202412
- Total net migration, 20243
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024160
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1364th of 3,144
The county has grown 1.42 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 by more than net migration added, so the population fell even though more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Lucas County
Where are people moving to Lucas County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving189
- People arriving, from those returns385
- Tax returns filed by households leaving184
- Net household movement5
- Adjusted gross income arriving$9.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$950,000
- Average income of an arriving household$51,122
- Average income of a leaving household$47,348
- Largest single originPolk County (31 households)
- Largest single destinationPolk County (35 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 31 | 59 | $1.7 m |
Households arriving report $3,774 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 Polk 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.
Lucas County
What is the Lucas County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$362.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$355.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.9 percent
- GDP change over five years6.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Iowa areas BEA publishes94th of 99
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2604th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$41,582
Output grew 1.9 percent in the latest year and 6.8 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.
Lucas County
Employment by industry in Lucas County
- Covered employment, annual average3,351
- Establishments reporting252
- Average annual pay$50,709
- Average weekly wage$975
- Manufacturing, employment400
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$51,730
- Retail trade, employment330
- Retail trade, average annual pay$28,123
- Construction, employment86
- Construction, average annual pay$55,513
- Finance and insurance, employment74
- Finance and insurance, average annual pay$60,580
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment74
- Other services, except public administration, employment72
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 400 | 16 | $51,730 |
| Retail trade | 330 | 27 | $28,123 |
| Construction | 86 | 24 | $55,513 |
| Finance and insurance | 74 | 12 | $60,580 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 74 | 22 | $45,979 |
| Other services, except public administration | 72 | 14 | $43,447 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 48 | 6 | $35,626 |
| Wholesale trade | 25 | 5 | $59,385 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 400 jobs, 11.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Lucas County
How many businesses are in Lucas County?
- Establishments, all industries187
- Employment at those establishments4,663
- Annual payroll$215.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.5
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.
Lucas County
Building permits in Lucas County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 202429
- Declared construction value permitted$4.0 m
- Single family units authorized3
- Multifamily units authorized26
- Multifamily share of units89.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$136,552
- Units authorized per 1,000 households7.8
Multifamily is 89.7 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lucas County
How large is Lucas County?
- Land area431 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties89th of 99
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south18.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land20
- Establishments per square mile0.43
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.
Lucas County
Flood risk in Lucas County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Lucas County, unincorporated areasNot participating, community 190885
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate75.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Lucas 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 Lucas County (community 190885), 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 Lucas 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. 75.0 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 Lucas 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 Lucas County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20248,716
- Households3,708
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$61,793
- Median age41.9
Common questions
Lucas County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lucas County, Iowa?
The Census Bureau estimates 8,758 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 8,716, in 3,708 households, ranking 83rd of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lucas County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.42 percent since the 2020 census base of 8,635, to 8,758 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 111 births against 129 deaths, with net migration of 3. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lucas County?
$61,793. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $120,200, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $709 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Lucas County?
187 establishments, employing 4,663 people with an annual payroll of $215.1 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 Lucas County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 400 jobs, 11.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 3,351 jobs at an average annual pay of $50,709, or $975 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Lucas County?
29 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.0 m. Multifamily was 89.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lucas 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 Lucas County come from?
The largest single origin is Polk County, with 31 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,122 against $47,348 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Lucas 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 Lucas 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.
Lucas County
Cities and places in Lucas.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Lucas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chariton | city | 4,242 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Russell | city | 613 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Williamson | city | 190 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lucas | city | 145 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Derby | city | 110 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby