Pottawattamie County, IA Average Home Price (2026)

The average home price in Pottawattamie County, Iowa is about $283,000 (the 2026 median across 13 ZIP codes, at ~$162/sq ft) — 36% more expensive than the Iowa median and 2% more affordable than the typical U.S. home.

$283,000
Median home value
$162
Median price / sq ft
13
ZIP codes with data
+36%
vs Iowa median

How Pottawattamie County compares

Pottawattamie County is about average for housing nationally: its typical home costs $283,000 against $207,500 for Iowa and $289,000 for the U.S. Within the county, ZIP-level values run from about $185,000 to $474,000.

AreaTypical value$ / sq ft
Pottawattamie County$283,000$162
Iowa$207,500$133
United States$289,000$193

Pottawattamie County home prices by ZIP code

The 13 most valuable ZIP codes in Pottawattamie County (of 13 with data):

ZIP codeTypical value$ / sq ftvs county
51542 Honey Creek$474,000$263+67%
51576 Underwood$391,000$146+38%
51526 Crescent$387,000$136+37%
51575 Treynor$362,000$218+28%
51559 Neola$314,000$234+11%
51503 Council Bluffs$308,000$169+9%
51553 Minden$283,000$132+0%
51525 Carson$260,000$197-8%
51521 Avoca$235,000$116-17%
51560 Oakland$223,000$139-21%
51510 Carter Lake$210,000$185-26%
51577 Walnut$199,000$162-30%
51501 Council Bluffs$185,000$155-35%

Home value appreciation in Pottawattamie County

Home prices in Pottawattamie County have risen about 88% over the last 10 years (≈6.5% a year) and +93.5% over 20 years, according to the FHFA house price index through 2025. The most recent year came in at +5.5% — still rising. A home worth $283,000 today was worth roughly $150,933 ten years ago.

+5.5%
1-year change
+51.4%
5-year change
+87.5%
10-year change
+93.5%
20-year change

See where that trend takes a specific home with the home appreciation calculator — statewide, Iowa is +65.4% over the same 10 years. Past appreciation is a track record, not a forecast; local prices can fall.

Calculators for Pottawattamie County

Run the numbers for Pottawattamie County with the local rates already filled in — change any input to test your own situation.

Salary needed to buy a home in Pottawattamie County

To buy the typical $283,000 home in Pottawattamie County with 20% down, you need a household income of roughly $77,000 a year (about $1,800 a month for the mortgage, taxes, and insurance). With 10% down the bar rises to about $91,000, because the loan is bigger and mortgage insurance kicks in.

Down paymentCash downMonthly paymentIncome needed
5% (+PMI)$14,200$2,230/mo$96,000/yr
10% (+PMI)$28,300$2,130/mo$91,000/yr
20%$56,600$1,800/mo$77,000/yr

Assumes a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6.5%, property tax at 1.1% and insurance at 0.45% of value per year, PMI of 0.75% on loans with less than 20% down, and the standard 28% housing-to-income rule. Your rate, taxes, and HOA will move these — run your own numbers in the mortgage calculator.

What your budget buys in Pottawattamie County

At about $162 per square foot, here is roughly how much home different budgets get you in Pottawattamie County:

BudgetApprox. sizeWhat that looks like locally
$150k930 sq ftbelow the local median — condos, smaller or older homes
$200k1230 sq ftbelow the local median — condos, smaller or older homes
$250k1540 sq ftaround the typical home here
$300k1850 sq ftaround the typical home here
$400k2470 sq ftabove the median — larger homes or the pricier ZIPs

Wondering where that budget goes further? The relocation calculator ranks hundreds of U.S. cities by what the same money buys — it opens filtered to Iowa.

Estimate a specific home in Pottawattamie County

Enter your ZIP and size for an instant estimate tailored to your exact area:

Pottawattamie County home prices: frequently asked

What is the average home price in Pottawattamie County, IA? +
The typical home in Pottawattamie County, Iowa is worth about $283,000 as of 2026 (the median across its 13 ZIP codes with data), at roughly $162 per square foot — 36% more expensive than the Iowa median of $207,500 and 2% more affordable than the U.S. median.
What salary do you need to buy a house in Pottawattamie County? +
For the typical $283,000 home in Pottawattamie County, a household income of about $77,000 a year covers the payment with 20% down (a 30-year fixed at 6.5%, plus taxes and insurance, under the 28% rule). With 10% down you need roughly $91,000; with 5% down about $96,000.
Which part of Pottawattamie County is most expensive? +
Among the ZIP codes we track, 51542 (Honey Creek) is the priciest at about $474,000 and 51501 (Council Bluffs) the most affordable at about $185,000 — a 2.6× spread inside one county.
Are home values in Pottawattamie County going up? +
Over the last 10 years home prices in Pottawattamie County changed about +87.5% (≈6.5% a year), and +5.5% in the latest year, according to the FHFA house price index through 2025. Over 20 years: +93.5%. Past gains are not a guarantee of future ones.

Browse all Iowa cities and counties, or look up price per square foot by ZIP code nationwide.

Directional estimates from public market data (Realtor.com & Zillow research; FHFA house price index; Census ZIP-to-county relationships), not appraisals.