Butler County, Iowa Housing Market

In Butler County, Iowa, the median home value is $165,400, with a median monthly rent of $812. This places Butler County at #1896 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #44 within Iowa.

Median Home Value $165,400
Median Rent $812/mo
Owner Occupancy 84.1%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.0

📈 Price Trend (2017 → 2024)

📊 Recent Market Momentum (FHFA HPI)

FHFA House Price Index — All-Transactions, Annual (2000 = 100) · Latest: 2025

💡 Year-over-Year Trend: Home prices in Butler County rose +6.6% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

2,933
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,077
  • Establishments: 388
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

18
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 18
  • Multi-family: 0
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+134
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 5,855 (avg $72,251)
  • Outflow: 5,721 (avg $72,702)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 1 active ZIP codes in Butler County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 50665 266.6 -1.52% 2025

Source: FHFA HPI for Five-Digit ZIP Codes (All-Transactions Index, 2000 = 100).
This product uses FHFA Data but is neither endorsed nor certified by FHFA.

How Butler County Compares

MetricButler CountyIowa AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $165,400 $171,037 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $812 $832 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 84.1% 75.8% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 17.0 17.0 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Butler County is 3.3% below the Iowa state average and 27.4% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $812/month is 2.4% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 17.0, the buy-vs-rent decision in Butler County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Butler County has an owner-occupancy rate of 84.1%, compared to 75.8% in Iowa and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more homeowner-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Pottawatomie County Oklahoma $165,400 $894
Allen County Ohio $165,300 $922
Sumter County South Carolina $165,300 $1,057
Cleburne County Alabama $165,600 $798
Tift County Georgia $165,200 $777

Other Counties in Iowa

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Cerro Gordo County $166,400 $850 70.4%
Henry County $164,300 $820 74.1%
Shelby County $164,000 $783 77.8%
Jefferson County $163,400 $883 67.7%
Clayton County $168,500 $790 78.0%

Data Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates (2017–2024). Variables: B25077 (Median Home Value), B25064 (Median Gross Rent), B25003 (Tenure). Data collected on 2026-10-14. The price-to-rent ratio is calculated as Median Home Value ÷ (Median Monthly Rent × 12).