Counties with the most renters in Iowa

All cities are made up of a mix of homeowners and renters, with 58.6% of Americans owning their own homes and 30.4% rending in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the American Census Bureau. In cities, there tend to be higher rates of renters due to high property values and influxes of young people who flock to urban areas after college to enter the workforce.

Stacker compiled a list of the counties with most renters in Iowa using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by percent of housing units occupied by renters as of 2019 5-year estimates. Keep reading to see if your county made the list.

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#30. Wright County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 28.3%
- 2019 median gross rent: $626 (+10.2% change in rent since 2015)
--- #68 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,415 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 29.3%
--- #47 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,378 among all counties nationwide

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#29. Page County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 28.5%
- 2019 median gross rent: $663 (+17.6% change in rent since 2015)
--- #47 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,063 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 32.1%
--- #30 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,055 among all counties nationwide

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#28. Wapello County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 28.5%
- 2019 median gross rent: $718 (+17.3% change in rent since 2015)
--- #26 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,541 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 37.1%
--- #14 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,285 among all counties nationwide

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#27. Floyd County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 28.8%
- 2019 median gross rent: $539 (-3.1% change in rent since 2015)
--- #97 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,934 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 34.1%
--- #22 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,756 among all counties nationwide

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#26. Henry County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 28.8%
- 2019 median gross rent: $694 (+13.4% change in rent since 2015)
--- #35 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,772 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 27.8%
--- #59 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,524 among all counties nationwide

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#25. Appanoose County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.0%
- 2019 median gross rent: $624 (+16.4% change in rent since 2015)
--- #70 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,434 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 32.4%
--- #29 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,025 among all counties nationwide

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#24. Washington County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.0%
- 2019 median gross rent: $754 (+9.0% change in rent since 2015)
--- #18 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,283 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 26.6%
--- #67 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,636 among all counties nationwide

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#23. Marion County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.2%
- 2019 median gross rent: $721 (+11.4% change in rent since 2015)
--- #23 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,518 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 24.2%
--- #81 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,792 among all counties nationwide

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#22. Marshall County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.5%
- 2019 median gross rent: $689 (+6.0% change in rent since 2015)
--- #37 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,812 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 28.7%
--- #53 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,434 among all counties nationwide

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#21. Clarke County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.6%
- 2019 median gross rent: $783 (+15.5% change in rent since 2015)
--- #14 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,087 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 33.3%
--- #24 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,874 among all counties nationwide

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#20. Union County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.6%
- 2019 median gross rent: $609 (+2.7% change in rent since 2015)
--- #80 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,569 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 28.4%
--- #55 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,466 among all counties nationwide

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#19. Des Moines County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.7%
- 2019 median gross rent: $778 (+22.1% change in rent since 2015)
--- #16 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,123 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 42.0%
--- #4 most common among counties in Iowa, #604 among all counties nationwide

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#18. Montgomery County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 29.8%
- 2019 median gross rent: $644 (+5.7% change in rent since 2015)
--- #54 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,246 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 30.8%
--- #37 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,220 among all counties nationwide

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#17. Cass County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 30.8%
- 2019 median gross rent: $646 (+13.5% change in rent since 2015)
--- #53 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,225 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 24.8%
--- #79 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,760 among all counties nationwide

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#16. Cerro Gordo County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 30.9%
- 2019 median gross rent: $707 (+14.6% change in rent since 2015)
--- #29 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,640 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 30.8%
--- #37 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,220 among all counties nationwide

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#15. Crawford County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 30.9%
- 2019 median gross rent: $631 (+16.6% change in rent since 2015)
--- #65 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,363 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 31.1%
--- #36 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,184 among all counties nationwide

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#14. Mahaska County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 31.0%
- 2019 median gross rent: $652 (+9.9% change in rent since 2015)
--- #51 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,167 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 31.8%
--- #34 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,104 among all counties nationwide

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#13. Scott County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 31.0%
- 2019 median gross rent: $793 (+10.9% change in rent since 2015)
--- #11 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,032 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 40.6%
--- #6 most common among counties in Iowa, #764 among all counties nationwide

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#12. Poweshiek County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 31.4%
- 2019 median gross rent: $719 (+12.3% change in rent since 2015)
--- #24 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,535 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 32.8%
--- #26 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,961 among all counties nationwide

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#11. Pottawattamie County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 31.6%
- 2019 median gross rent: $842 (+11.5% change in rent since 2015)
--- #6 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #813 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 35.9%
--- #17 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,491 among all counties nationwide

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#10. Webster County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 32.0%
- 2019 median gross rent: $642 (+12.0% change in rent since 2015)
--- #56 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,266 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 32.8%
--- #26 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,961 among all counties nationwide

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#9. Clay County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 32.3%
- 2019 median gross rent: $700 (+17.8% change in rent since 2015)
--- #32 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,711 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 28.8%
--- #52 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,430 among all counties nationwide

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#8. Polk County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 32.9%
- 2019 median gross rent: $910 (+13.9% change in rent since 2015)
--- #3 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #589 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 35.2%
--- #18 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,593 among all counties nationwide

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#7. Decatur County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 33.0%
- 2019 median gross rent: $567 (+22.7% change in rent since 2015)
--- #93 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #2,814 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 31.9%
--- #32 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,087 among all counties nationwide

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#6. Woodbury County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 33.6%
- 2019 median gross rent: $787 (+16.1% change in rent since 2015)
--- #13 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,070 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 31.3%
--- #35 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,163 among all counties nationwide

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#5. Jefferson County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 33.7%
- 2019 median gross rent: $685 (+8.0% change in rent since 2015)
--- #38 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,848 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 38.8%
--- #10 most common among counties in Iowa, #1,012 among all counties nationwide

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#4. Black Hawk County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 34.5%
- 2019 median gross rent: $801 (+14.4% change in rent since 2015)
--- #10 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #984 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 39.1%
--- #8 most common among counties in Iowa, #975 among all counties nationwide

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#3. Buena Vista County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 35.4%
- 2019 median gross rent: $706 (+19.1% change in rent since 2015)
--- #30 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #1,649 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 23.4%
--- #83 most common among counties in Iowa, #2,831 among all counties nationwide

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#2. Johnson County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 41.5%
- 2019 median gross rent: $972 (+11.7% change in rent since 2015)
--- #2 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #460 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 49.5%
--- #1 most common among counties in Iowa, #131 among all counties nationwide

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#1. Story County

- Housing units occupied by renters: 46.5%
- 2019 median gross rent: $905 (+17.2% change in rent since 2015)
--- #4 highest rent among counties in Iowa, #606 among all counties nationwide
- Renters paying over 35% of household income: 47.7%
--- #2 most common among counties in Iowa, #182 among all counties nationwide

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