HomeIowaPottawattamie CountyCarter Lake
Carter Lake, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Carter Lake is a Census city of 3,767 people across 1.79 square miles of land, in Pottawattamie County. Median household income is $85,349, 91.0 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $1.8 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Carter Lake
What Carter Lake is
- Census place typecity
- Land area1.79 sq mi
- Water area0.22 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land2,099
- County holding the largest share of its areaPottawattamie County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter Lake
How many people live in Carter Lake
- Population3,767
- Median age40.0
- Population under 18974 plus or minus 247
- Share under 1825.9 percent plus or minus 6.5
- Population 65 and over650 plus or minus 154
- Share 65 and over17.3 percent plus or minus 4.1
- Households1,390
- Family households1,074
- Share of households that are families77.3 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter Lake
Income and work in Carter Lake
- Median household income$85,349
- Per capita income$38,306
- Civilian labor force1,855
- Employed1,784
- Unemployed71 plus or minus 61
- Unemployment rate3.8 percent plus or minus 3.3
- Adults 25 and over2,539
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher90.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher9.5 percent plus or minus 4.1
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.3 percent plus or minus 3.4
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter Lake
Housing in Carter Lake
- Housing units1,457
- Occupied units1,390
- Vacant units67 plus or minus 67
- Vacancy rate4.6 percent plus or minus 4.6
- Owner occupied1,265
- Renter occupied125 plus or minus 72
- Ownership rate91.0 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$169,400
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,323
- Annual rent as a share of median income18.6 percent
- Single family units1,225
- Share single family84.1 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more13 plus or minus 19
- Share in buildings of two or more0.9 percent plus or minus 1.3
- Mobile homes219 plus or minus 109
- Median year structure built1969
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter Lake
How Carter Lake gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute1,559
- Commuting under 15 minutes336 plus or minus 116
- Share commuting under 15 minutes21.6 percent plus or minus 6.9
- Commuting 30 minutes or more355 plus or minus 153
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more22.8 percent plus or minus 9.3
- Drove alone81.2 percent
- Carpooled5.6 percent plus or minus 6.7
- Public transport0.0 percent
- Walked1.6 percent plus or minus 2.0
- Worked from home11.6 percent plus or minus 6.0
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Carter Lake
SBA loans in Carter Lake (7(a))
- Approvals1
- Gross approval$1,830,500
- Average approval$1,830,500
- Median approval$1,830,500
- Largest approval$1,830,500
- Jobs supported70
- Jobs per approval70.0
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Median term96 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more0.0 percent
- Share to franchises0.0 percent
- Distinct lenders1
- Distinct industries by NAICS1
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Carter Lake, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Carter Lake
SBA loans in Carter Lake (504)
- Approvals1
- Gross approval$625,000
- Average approval$625,000
- Median approval$625,000
- Largest approval$625,000
- Jobs supported16
- Loans with a final outcome0
- Charged off0
- Median term300 months
- Distinct CDCs1
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Carter Lake, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Carter Lake
Flood risk in Carter Lake
- NFIP communityCity of Carter Lake
- NFIP community number190492
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date02/04/05
The City of Carter Lake participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 190492 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Pottawattamie County, not Carter Lake
Pottawattamie County context, not Carter Lake figures
- Establishments in Pottawattamie County1,920
- Covered employment, Pottawattamie County41,403
- Average annual pay, Pottawattamie County$56,397
- Housing units permitted, Pottawattamie County681
Every figure in this section is published for Pottawattamie County as a whole and is not a measurement of Carter Lake.
All Pottawattamie County figures →
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, 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 →
Common questions
Carter Lake questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Carter Lake, Iowa?
3,767, in 1,390 households. Carter Lake city covers 1.79 square miles of land, which is 2,099 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Carter Lake in?
Pottawattamie County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Carter Lake?
$85,349. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $169,400. Median gross rent is $1,323 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Carter Lake businesses?
1 7(a) approvals totaling $1.8 m since FY2020, across 1 lenders, median approval $1,830,500, plus 1 504 approvals worth $625,000 since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Carter Lake, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Carter Lake borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Carter Lake. Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Carter Lake in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Carter Lake appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Carter Lake, city of, community 190492, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Carter Lake figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Pottawattamie County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Carter Lake.
Is zoning published for Carter Lake?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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