Pottawattamie County, Iowa Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Pottawattamie County, IA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 70% of counties in Iowa
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B
Income Around average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Pottawattamie County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 93,423 | 3,204,793 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 97.4 | 57.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.03% | 0.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.2 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 37,641 | 1,308,457 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Pottawattamie County grew by 4.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 93,423 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Pottawattamie County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.6% of residents. That is 1.7 points above Iowa as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 18,981 20.3% -1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 18,995 20.3% -0.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 19,202 20.6% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 16,905 18.1% +0.4 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Iowa, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.5% of the people living in Pottawattamie County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Iowa 50.0%
- Men 49.5% Iowa 50.0%
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Economy
Pottawattamie County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Pottawattamie County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $73,385 | $75,133 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.93% | 3.99% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Pottawattamie County is about 2% lower than in Iowa.
Housing
| Metric | Pottawattamie County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $189,294 | $153,425 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,018 | $971 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.9% | 71.7% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Pottawattamie County is about 15.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,018 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Pottawattamie County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 151 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Pottawattamie County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.1 | 17.0 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.2 | 33.9 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 151 | 141 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,677 | $4,382 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 11.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,302 | 4,993 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,445 | 606 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Iowa:
Sioux County (10.1 min), Union County (10.4 min), Cass County (10.6 min).
Slowest:
Monroe County (30.4 min), Madison County (30.1 min), Mills County (26.7 min).
The average commute time in Pottawattamie County is 18 minutes, longer than the 17 minutes in Iowa.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Pottawattamie County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Pottawattamie County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.5% | 27.9% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.41 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.4), Dallas County (0.4), Story County (0.4).
Lowest:
Crawford County (0.2), Wayne County (0.2), Louisa County (0.2).
Health
Pottawattamie County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Pottawattamie County | Iowa Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.6 | 79.2 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.8% | 13.6% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.6% | 17.6% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Iowa:
Johnson County (0.8), Story County (0.8), Winneshiek County (0.8).
Lowest:
Davis County (0.8), Wayne County (0.8), Appanoose County (0.8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
How many people live in Pottawattamie County, Iowa?
About 93,423 people live in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, in 37,641 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Pottawattamie County, Iowa mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Pottawattamie County, Iowa has 97 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Pottawattamie County, Iowa?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($189,294 against $73,385), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,018 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Pottawattamie County, Iowa?
Unemployment in Pottawattamie County, Iowa is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Pottawattamie County, Iowa?
21.5% of adults in Pottawattamie County, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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