Council Bluffs, IA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Iowa·Council Bluffs

Pottawattamie County · Omaha-Council Bluffs · population 62,665

First-time buyers
Council Bluffs, IA
Image: Wikipedia · Council Bluffs, Iowa
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
65
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Council Bluffs stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $227,420
1-year +2.1%
5-yr CAGR +6.0%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$227k$115k$155k$196k$237k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,264/mo$923$1,147$1,372202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent127127100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 15.0
Buy

At a 15.0 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Council Bluffs on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 15.0 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
61 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
70 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
44 · w16%
Rent YoY
51 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
70 · w10%
Long thesis

Council Bluffs has held up across the cycle: home values at $227,420 with +6.0% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Council Bluffs's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Council Bluffs

Council Bluffs is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, with an estimated population of 62,665. It anchors the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area. The median home value in Council Bluffs is $227,420 as of 2026-04, up 2.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.0% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Council Bluffs average $1,264 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.0%). The composite momentum score is 65 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $227,420 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.0% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +2.1% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Council Bluffs (Wikipedia)

Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. Located on the east bank of the Missouri River, it sits across from Omaha, Nebraska. The city had a population of 62,799 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Iowa and the largest in Southwest Iowa. Council Bluffs is also a principal city in the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

Nickname"The Gateway of the American West"
Motto"Iowa's Spirit"

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Pottawattamie County right now.

NWS active alerts (IA)Iowa Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Pottawattamie County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Council Bluffs

7 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Manawa$286,307+5.6%
2Twin City$237,148+2.6%
3Oakland-Fairview$211,711+2.5%
4Huntington Avenue$204,463+3.2%
5South End$200,898+5.1%
6West End$174,247-0.2%
7Downtown$140,817-2.7%

Cities like Council Bluffs

Cedar Falls, IA67 · RisingSioux City, IA68 · RisingMason City, IA66 · RisingCedar Rapids, IA67 · Rising

Run the numbers for Council Bluffs

ToolCan I afford Council Bluffs?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Council Bluffs rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Council Bluffs to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolCouncil Bluffs cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
28° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
84° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
36″ rain
30″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Council Bluffs listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Omaha-Council Bluffs area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$70,500
Iowa state median
Top industries (state-level)
InsuranceManufacturingAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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