The Town Files

Pottawattamie County, Iowa

93,424 people. The median home is worth $195,700 (typical Iowa town: $156,300) and the median household earns $73,602.

Towns in Pottawattamie County

Towns in Pottawattamie County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Council Bluffs62,799$171,800$64,57838.7
Carter Lake3,791$169,400$85,34940.0

People and housing

Pottawattamie CountyTypical Iowa town
Median home value$195,700$156,300
Median rent$1,018$820
Median household income$73,602$69,254
Median age40.140.2
Bachelor's degree or higher23.6%21.8%
Below the poverty line12.1%9.3%

Jobs and pay

41,403 jobs in 2024, average pay $56,397 a year.

Largest industries in Pottawattamie CountyHealth care & social assistan…5,581 jobs · $61,097Retail5,504 jobs · $34,183Manufacturing5,472 jobs · $64,500Hotels & restaurants5,212 jobs · $29,062Construction2,260 jobs · $72,751Administrative & support2,249 jobs · $59,450
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Pottawattamie County0%2%4%6%2000200420082012201620202023 2.9%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 648 storm events in Pottawattamie County from 1996 to 2026, with 6 deaths.

Storm events in Pottawattamie County by type since 1996Hail205Heat15Flood29Tornado36Blizzard12High Wind24Flash Flood19Winter Storm51Excessive Heat12Winter Weather17
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Pottawattamie County has been included in 26 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
June 24, 2024Severe StormDR-4796: Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes
May 24, 2024Severe StormDR-4784: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
May 14, 2024TornadoDR-4779: Severe Storms And Tornadoes
March 23, 2020BiologicalDR-4483: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3480: Covid-19
March 23, 2019FloodDR-4421: Severe Storms And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).