Pottawattamie County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Pottawattamie County, Iowa had an estimated 93,529 residents on July 1, 2024, down 0.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 93,647, across 950 square miles. County output reached $6.26 bn in 2024, 1,920 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 42 7(a) approvals worth $22.5 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Pottawattamie County
How many people live in Pottawattamie County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202493,424
- Households37,642
- Average household size2.48
- Median household income$73,602
- Median age40.1
- Median gross rent$1,018 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$195,700
- Home value to household income2.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over64,060
- Population under 1821,407
- Share under 1822.9 percent
- Population 65 and over17,508
- Share 65 and over18.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6454,509
- Civilian labor force47,087
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.4 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties10th of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included655th of 3,222
Pottawattamie County is the 10th largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 2.7 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.9 percent against 18.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Pottawattamie County
Is Pottawattamie County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202493,529
- Census 2020 base population93,647
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.13 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024176
- Births, 2024964
- Deaths, 20241,079
- Natural change, 2024-115
- Net domestic migration, 20249
- Net international migration, 2024280
- Total net migration, 2024289
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-371
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1884th of 3,144
The county has lost 0.13 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Pottawattamie County
Where are people moving to Pottawattamie County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving2,094
- People arriving, from those returns3,758
- Tax returns filed by households leaving2,174
- Net household movement-80
- Adjusted gross income arriving$104.2 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-7.6 m
- Average income of an arriving household$49,744
- Average income of a leaving household$51,403
- Largest single originDouglas County (723 households)
- Largest single destinationDouglas County (711 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 723 | 1,297 | $35.5 m |
| Sarpy County | 222 | 406 | $11.7 m |
| Mills County | 82 | 153 | $4.7 m |
| Cass County | 44 | 89 | $2.0 m |
| Shelby County | 42 | 71 | $2.0 m |
| Harrison County | 41 | 68 | $2.6 m |
| Polk County | 33 | 49 | $2.0 m |
| Lancaster County | 30 | 51 | $1.6 m |
Households arriving report $1,659 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Douglas 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.
Pottawattamie County
What is the Pottawattamie County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$6.26 bn
- County GDP, 2023$5.87 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20246.7 percent
- GDP change over five years42.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Iowa areas BEA publishes10th of 99
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes629th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$67,041
Output grew 6.7 percent in the latest year and 42.8 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.
Pottawattamie County
Employment by industry in Pottawattamie County
- Covered employment, annual average41,403
- Establishments reporting2,746
- Average annual pay$56,397
- Average weekly wage$1,085
- Health care and social assistance, employment5,581
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$61,097
- Retail trade, employment5,504
- Retail trade, average annual pay$34,183
- Manufacturing, employment5,472
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$64,500
- Accommodation and food services, employment5,212
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$29,062
- Construction, employment2,260
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment2,249
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,581 | 343 | $61,097 |
| Retail trade | 5,504 | 255 | $34,183 |
| Manufacturing | 5,472 | 69 | $64,500 |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,212 | 206 | $29,062 |
| Construction | 2,260 | 271 | $72,751 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 2,249 | 190 | $59,450 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 2,150 | 150 | $50,275 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 1,073 | 284 | $80,192 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 5,581 jobs, 13.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Pottawattamie County
How many businesses are in Pottawattamie County?
- Establishments, all industries1,920
- Employment at those establishments32,384
- Annual payroll$1.63 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.6
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.
Pottawattamie County
Building permits in Pottawattamie County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024681
- Declared construction value permitted$124.7 m
- Single family units authorized105
- Multifamily units authorized576
- Multifamily share of units84.6 percent
- Average declared value per unit$183,140
- Units authorized per 1,000 households18.1
Multifamily is 84.6 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Pottawattamie County
SBA loans in Pottawattamie County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded42
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$22.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$535,331
- Median 7(a) approval$159,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,090
- 90th percentile approval$1,814,850
- Largest single approval$3,082,500
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)462
- Jobs per approval11.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active22
- Distinct industries receiving approvals29
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms8
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter31
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals2.4 percent
- Most active lenderU.S. Bank, National Association (7)
- 504 approvals recorded38
- 504 gross approval dollars$26.4 m
- Average 504 approval$693,605
- Median 504 approval$510,500
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval8.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved12.6
- Most active CDCSiouxland Economic Development Corporation (19)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$48.8 m
The average approval of $535,331 sits well above the median of $159,000, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 19.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
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.
Pottawattamie County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Pottawattamie County
Do SBA loans in Pottawattamie County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded11
- Paid in full11
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full11
- Status: Exempt from disclosure28
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Only 11 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.
Pottawattamie County
SBA lending by place in Pottawattamie County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending8
- Council Bluffs, approvals26
- Oakland, approvals7
- Avoca, approvals3
- Neola, approvals2
- Carter Lake, approvals1
- Treynor, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | 26 | $15,597,500 |
| Oakland | 7 | $3,903,500 |
| Avoca | 3 | $762,600 |
| Neola | 2 | $185,100 |
| Carter Lake | 1 | $1,830,500 |
| Treynor | 1 | $150,000 |
| Minden | 1 | $45,000 |
| Underwood | 1 | $9,700 |
Council Bluffs accounts for 26 approvals against 7 in Oakland. 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.
Pottawattamie County
How large is Pottawattamie County?
- Land area950 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties2nd of 99
- Width, east to west43 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary8
- Residents per square mile of land98
- Establishments per square mile2.02
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.
Pottawattamie County
Flood risk in Pottawattamie County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Pottawattamie County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 190232
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 9
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book14
- Of those, participating in the NFIP12
- NFIP participation rate85.7 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 9
- Communities carrying a CRS class1
- Radon levels in Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County (community 190232), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 9, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Pottawattamie 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. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 9, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 85.7 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 Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202493,424
- Households37,642
- Average household size2.48
- Median household income$73,602
- Median age40.1
Common questions
Pottawattamie County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Pottawattamie County, Iowa?
The Census Bureau estimates 93,529 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 93,424, in 37,642 households, ranking 10th of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Pottawattamie County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.13 percent since the 2020 census base of 93,647, to 93,529 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 964 births against 1,079 deaths, with net migration of 289. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Pottawattamie County?
$73,602. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $195,700, which is 2.7 times income, and median gross rent is $1,018 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Pottawattamie County?
1,920 establishments, employing 32,384 people with an annual payroll of $1.63 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Pottawattamie County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 5,581 jobs, 13.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 41,403 jobs at an average annual pay of $56,397, or $1,085 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Pottawattamie County?
42 7(a) approvals totaling $22.5 m since FY2020, across 22 lenders, with a median approval of $159,000, plus 38 504 approvals worth $26.4 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Pottawattamie County?
681 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $124.7 m. Multifamily was 84.6 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie County come from?
The largest single origin is Douglas County, with 723 households. Arriving households report an average income of $49,744 against $51,403 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Pottawattamie 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 Pottawattamie 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.
Pottawattamie County
Cities and places in Pottawattamie.
18 Census places lie wholly or partly in Pottawattamie County. All 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | city | 62,586 | 26 | Wholly in this county |
| Carter Lake | city | 3,767 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Avoca | city | 1,444 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Oakland | city | 1,408 | 7 | Wholly in this county |
| Walnut | city | 1,342 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Treynor | city | 1,126 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Neola | city | 1,116 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Underwood | city | 898 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Carson | city | 834 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Shelby | city | 752 | None recorded | 51.9 percent here, 48.1 percent Shelby County |
| Minden | city | 630 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Crescent | city | 549 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Macedonia | city | 249 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Hancock | city | 216 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Weston | CDP | 192 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Bentley | CDP | 189 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| McClelland | city | 140 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Loveland | CDP | 52 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |