Pottawattamie County · Iowa · Midwest · 63k residents
Council Bluffs, IA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Council Bluffs: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Iowa median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,114/wk. Iowa's corporate income tax rate is 7.1%. Commercial electricity averages 10.2¢/kWh.
Compare Council Bluffs side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$1,114/wk
Corporate income tax
7.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher
21.5%
Commercial electricity
10.2¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Council Bluffs's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
43/100
Steady
Ranks Council Bluffs's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $171,800 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $145 |
| Property tax rate | 1.5% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $819/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,054/mo |
| State & local income tax | 5.3% |
| Sales tax | 6.9% |
| Corporate income tax | 7.1% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $1,114/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 10.2¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 28.9/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $125,220 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $84,600 |
| Wage: General manager | $90,620 |
| Wage: Customer service | $44,260 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $36,810 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $58,010 |
| Wage: Electrician | $62,440 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $33,260 |
| Cost of living index | 78 |
| Groceries index | 94 |
| Utilities | $150/mo |
| Transit pass | $48/mo |
| Gas price | $3.00/gal |
| Healthcare index | 94 |
| Childcare (per child) | $950/mo |
| Median household income | $64,578 |
| Unemployment rate | 3% |
| Population | 63k |
| Crime index | 38/100 |
| School rating | 6.5/10 |
| Walkability | 34/100 |
| Disaster risk | 80/100 |
| Avg. commute | 19 min |
| Sunny days / year | 200 days |
| July high | 88°F |
| January low | 15°F |
| Annual snowfall | 27 in |
| Home price YoY | +2.3% |
| Home price MoM | +0.1% |
| Rent YoY | +1.7% |
| Rent MoM | +0.3% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +1.0% |
| Building permits YoY | -66.5% |
| Ocean coast | 794 mi |
| Big lake | 158 mi |
| Mountains | 375 mi |
| Major airport | 3 mi |
| Ski resort | 335 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Sioux City, IA · 86k
- Waukee, IA · 29k
- West Des Moines, IA · 71k
- Grimes, IA · 16k
- Clive, IA · 19k
Similar size
- Dubuque, IA · 59k
- Waterloo, IA · 67k
- Ames, IA · 68k
- Ankeny, IA · 73k
- Iowa City, IA · 76k
Real listings in Council Bluffs
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Council Bluffs a good place to run a business?
- Iowa's corporate income tax rate is 7.1%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $1,114/wk; commercial electricity averages 10.2¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Council Bluffs, IA?
- Council Bluffs indexes at 78 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,054/mo and a acs median home value of $171,800.
- How much does a house cost in Council Bluffs?
- The acs median home value in Council Bluffs is $171,800 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Council Bluffs?
- A two-bedroom in Council Bluffs rents for about $1,054/mo.