Delaware County, Iowa Housing Market Prices
Delaware County Home Prices and Rent at a Glance
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
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Median home price 52% below the Iowa median Cheaper than 76% of counties in Iowa$73,250
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Median rent 21% below the Iowa median Cheaper than 72% of counties in Iowa$764
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Delaware County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $73,250 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | 5.7% | 7.5% | 7.5% |
| Median Gross Rent | $764 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 2.6% | 3.9% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Delaware County is about 52% lower than in Iowa. Rent is about 21% lower than the Iowa average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2024
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2024
Both home prices and rent are rising in Delaware County, up about 5.7% and 2.6% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
Median rent in Delaware County rose about 26.8% between 2015 and 2024, from $602 to $764. Over the same span, rent in Iowa rose about 39.6%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 1.0 yearly household incomes in Delaware County.
Buying the median-priced home in Delaware County costs roughly 8.0 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 Delaware County. The price-to-rent ratio in Iowa is about 13.2.
| Metric | Delaware County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $73,250 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median Household Income | $74,990 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2024, the median home price in Delaware County rose about 4.6%, while median household income rose about 50.6% between 2009 and 2025 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Delaware County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 71.8% | 65.6% | 58.5% |
| Rental Rate | 18.4% | 25.9% | 31.2% |
| Vacancy Rate | 9.8% | 8.5% | 10.2% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 20.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2006 | 2011 | 2011 |
Delaware County has a homeownership rate of 71.8%, higher than the Iowa average of 65.6%. Its housing vacancy rate is 9.8%, compared with 8.5% in Iowa.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Delaware County | Iowa Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.35 people | 2.37 people | 2.53 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1966 | 1971 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 6.4 | 5.9 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Delaware County was built around 1966. On average, 2.3 people live in a home with about 6.4 rooms, staying for about 20.0 years on average.
Delaware County, IA Housing Compared With Nearby Counties
Delaware County, IA is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 17,558 residents against a local median of 99,026. The measure that sets Delaware County, IA apart most is median home price: $73,250, 75% below the local median of $298,275.
Median rent tells the same story from another angle: $764 against a local median of $944, 19% below it. The counties themselves sit within $74,700 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Delaware County, IA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Delaware County, IA has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median home price | Median rent | Homeownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County, IA | 17,558 | $73,250 #4/4 | $764 #4/4 | 79.6% #2/4 |
| Linn County, IA | 230,016 | $232,669 | $944 | 73.5% |
| Buchanan County, IA | 20,694 | $298,275 | $848 | 82.1% |
| Dubuque County, IA | 99,026 | $307,368 | $958 | 73.3% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Delaware County, Iowa.
What is the median home price in Delaware County, Iowa?
The median home price in Delaware County, Iowa is $73,250, lower than the Iowa average of $153,425.
What is the average home price in Delaware County, Iowa?
The typical home price in Delaware County, Iowa, reported as the median sale price, is $73,250. 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 Delaware County, Iowa?
The median gross rent in Delaware County, Iowa is $764 per month, lower than the Iowa average of $971.
What was the median gross rent in Delaware County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Delaware County, Iowa was $620 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Delaware County, Iowa?
The price-to-rent ratio in Delaware County, Iowa is about 8.0, meaning it would take roughly 8.0 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 Delaware County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Delaware County, Iowa?
Both home prices and rent are rising in Delaware County, up about 5.7% and 2.6% a year respectively. Home prices are changing faster.
What is the homeownership rate in Delaware County, Iowa?
71.8% of households in Delaware County, Iowa own their home, higher than the Iowa average of 65.6%.
What is the vacancy rate in Delaware County, Iowa?
The housing vacancy rate in Delaware County, Iowa is 9.8%, higher than the Iowa average of 8.5%.
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