Hancock County, Iowa Housing Market

In Hancock County, Iowa, the median home value is $141,400, with a median monthly rent of $736. This places Hancock County at #2353 nationally out of 3134 counties by median home value, and #72 within Iowa.

Median Home Value $141,400
Median Rent $736/mo
Owner Occupancy 82.5%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.0

📈 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 Hancock County fell -1.9% year-over-year as of 2025. (Source: FHFA)

📍 Economic Snapshot

💼

Employment & Wages

5,064
jobs (private sector)
  • Avg weekly wage: $1,201
  • Establishments: 330
  • BLS QCEW, 2025
🏗️

Housing Supply

7
new units authorized (2025)
  • Single-family: 7
  • Multi-family: 0
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey
🚚

Migration Patterns

+189
net migration (filers, 2021-2022)
  • Inflow: 4,376 (avg $79,859)
  • Outflow: 4,187 (avg $81,481)
  • IRS Statistics of Income

📍 Sub-Market Activity

Top 2 active ZIP codes in Hancock County · Latest: 2025

# ZIP Code HPI YoY Change Latest Year
1 50438 231.7 -3.79% 2025
2 50436 200.7 -2.66% 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 Hancock County Compares

MetricHancock CountyIowa AverageU.S. Average
Median Home Value $141,400 $171,037 $227,706
Median Gross Rent $736 $832 $968
Owner Occupancy Rate 82.5% 75.8% 73.3%
Price/Rent Ratio 16.0 17.0 18.7

Market Analysis

The median home value in Hancock County is 17.3% below the Iowa state average and 37.9% below the U.S. national average. The median rent of $736/month is 11.5% below the state average.

With a price-to-rent ratio of 16.0, the buy-vs-rent decision in Hancock County is balanced. Whether buying or renting makes more sense depends on your time horizon, down payment capacity, and local market conditions.

Hancock County has an owner-occupancy rate of 82.5%, 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
Lee County Iowa $141,400 $835
Sac County Iowa $141,400 $722
Galax city Virginia $141,300 $743
Brooke County West Virginia $141,500 $645
Hancock County Kentucky $141,200 $740

Other Counties in Iowa

CountyMedian Home ValueMedian RentOwner Occ.
Lee County $141,400 $835 76.3%
Sac County $141,400 $722 78.0%
Monona County $142,900 $855 75.7%
Floyd County $143,500 $745 76.6%
Marshall County $145,500 $885 75.0%

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).