Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Housing Market

In Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, the median home value is $166,400, with a median monthly rent of $850. This places Cerro Gordo County at #1873 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #43 within Iowa.

Median Home Value $166,400
Median Rent $850/mo
Owner Occupancy 70.4%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.3

📈 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 Cerro Gordo County rose +1.5% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

20,606
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,097
  • Establishments: 1,601
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

116
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 40
  • Multi-family: 76
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+946
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 17,977 (avg $84,972)
  • Outflow: 17,031 (avg $85,020)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 3 active ZIP codes in Cerro Gordo County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 50428 291.8 -2.03% 2025
2 50458 206.1 -8.95% 2025
3 50401 195.1 +1.80% 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 Cerro Gordo County Compares

MetricCerro Gordo CountyIowa AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $166,400 $171,037 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $850 $832 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 70.4% 75.8% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.3 17.0 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Cerro Gordo County is 2.7% below the Iowa state average and 26.9% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $850/month is 2.2% above the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 16.3, the buy-vs-rent decision in Cerro Gordo County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Cerro Gordo County has an owner-occupancy rate of 70.4%, compared to 75.8% in Iowa and 73.3% nationally. This indicates a more renter-heavy market than the U.S. average.

Similar Counties by Home Value

CountyStateMedian Home ValueMedian Rent
Dyer County Tennessee $166,400 $782
Pettis County Missouri $166,300 $885
Buchanan County Missouri $166,300 $902
Caldwell County Missouri $166,500 $640
Lincoln County Oklahoma $166,500 $794

Other Counties in Iowa

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Butler County $165,400 $812 84.1%
Henry County $164,300 $820 74.1%
Clayton County $168,500 $790 78.0%
Shelby County $164,000 $783 77.8%
Jefferson County $163,400 $883 67.7%

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).