Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Cass County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $72,000 | $143,535 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 9.2% | 7.5% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $769 | $948 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 3.8% | 4.1% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Cass County is about 50% lower than in Iowa. Rent is about 19% lower than the Iowa average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Both home prices and rent are rising in Cass County, up about 9.2% and 3.8% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Cass County rose about 35.2% between 2015 and 2023, from $569 to $769. Over the same span, rent in Iowa rose about 36.3%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 1.2 yearly household incomes in Cass County.
Buying the median-priced home in Cass County costs roughly 7.8 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Cass County. The price-to-rent ratio in Iowa is about 12.6.
| Metric | Cass County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $72,000 | $143,535 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $62,203 | $73,286 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 1.2 | 2.0 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Cass County rose about 166.7%, while median household income rose about 51.7% between 2010 and 2023 — the home price grew faster than income.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Cass County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 65.4% | 65.3% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 25.1% | 26.0% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 9.5% | 8.6% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 18.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2008 | 2011 | 2011 |
Cass County has a homeownership rate of 65.4%, about the same as the Iowa average of 65.3%. Its housing vacancy rate is 9.5%, compared with 8.6% in Iowa.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Cass County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.22 people | 2.37 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1952 | 1970 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Cass County was built around 1952. On average, 2.2 people live in a home with about 6.1 rooms, staying for about 18.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Cass County, Iowa.
What is the median home price in Cass County, Iowa?
The median home price in Cass County, Iowa is $72,000, lower than the Iowa average of $143,535.
What is the average home price in Cass County, Iowa?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Cass County, Iowa?
The median gross rent in Cass County, Iowa is $769 per month, lower than the Iowa average of $948.
What was the median gross rent in Cass County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Cass County, Iowa was $632 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Cass County, Iowa?
The price-to-rent ratio in Cass County, Iowa is about 7.8, meaning it would take roughly 7.8 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Cass County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Cass County, Iowa?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Cass County, up about 9.2% and 3.8% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Cass County, Iowa?
65.4% of households in Cass County, Iowa own their home, about the same as the Iowa average.
What is the vacancy rate in Cass County, Iowa?
The housing vacancy rate in Cass County, Iowa is 9.5%, higher than the Iowa average of 8.6%.