Home Insurance in Pottawattamie County, Iowa
With a median home value of $195,700, Pottawattamie County is 6% lower than the Iowa median.
Older homes can cost more to insure or rebuild because of aging wiring, roofing and plumbing. The typical home in Pottawattamie County was built around 1967. About 43% of homes were built before 1960, about 5 points above Iowa's 38%.
The housing stock in Pottawattamie County is 78% single-family homes, 14% apartments in buildings with 5+ units and 3% mobile or manufactured homes. Mobile and manufactured homes typically need a manufactured-home (HO-7) policy rather than a standard homeowners policy.
59% of owner-occupied homes in Pottawattamie County carry a mortgage, and mortgage lenders require hazard insurance for as long as the loan is active.
About 70% of occupied homes in Pottawattamie County are owner-occupied. The vacancy rate is 6%; vacant or unoccupied homes typically need a different coverage form than an owner-occupied policy.
Homes heated with propane can carry added fire risk. Fuel-tank leaks and spills are often excluded from standard homeowners policies. 70% of homes in Pottawattamie County are primarily heated with natural gas.
FEMA's National Risk Index lists hail (Relatively High), strong wind (Relatively High) and tornado (Relatively High) as the leading hazards for Pottawattamie County.
Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, so flood coverage needs a separate NFIP or private flood policy. As of September 2026, Pottawattamie County has 657 active NFIP flood policies on file.
According to the NAIC homeowners insurance report (2023 data), a standard HO-3 homeowners policy in Iowa carries a statewide average premium of $1,342 per year.
Key figures
| Median home value | $195,700 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Owner-occupied share | 70% |
| Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage | 59% |
| Top hazards (FEMA National Risk Index) | Hail (Relatively High), Strong Wind (Relatively High), Tornado (Relatively High) |
| Active NFIP flood policies (county) | 657 |
| Home insurance premium | $1,342 - statewide average (NAIC, 2023 data) |
Towns and cities
- Avoca
- Carson
- Carter Lake
- Council Bluffs
- Crescent
- Hancock
- Macedonia
- McClelland
- Minden
- Neola
- Oakland
- Shelby
- Treynor
- Underwood
- Walnut
Sources
Data last updated: 2026-09-29
- U.S. Census Bureau Gazetteer Files (2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates (2024)
- FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025)
- FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Policies v3 (2026)
- NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owners Insurance: Data for 2023 (published 2026) (2023)