Home Insurance in Harlan, Iowa
With a median home value of $152,500, Harlan is 7% lower than the Shelby County median.
Because older housing stock often has aging wiring, roofing or plumbing, it can cost more to insure or rebuild. The typical home in Harlan was built around 1959. About 51% of homes were built before 1960, about 8 points below Shelby County's 59%.
Mobile and manufactured homes typically need a manufactured-home (HO-7) policy rather than a standard homeowners policy. The housing stock in Harlan is 79% single-family homes, 7% apartments in buildings with 5+ units and 9% mobile or manufactured homes.
About 59% of owner-occupied homes in Harlan have a mortgage. Lenders require hazard (homeowners) insurance on any home carrying a mortgage.
About 72% of occupied homes in Harlan are owner-occupied. The vacancy rate is 10%; vacant or unoccupied homes typically need a different coverage form than an owner-occupied policy.
In Harlan, 70% of homes are primarily heated with natural gas.
Shelby County's top FEMA-rated hazard is hail (Relatively Moderate), per FEMA's National Risk Index. Shelby County had 31 active NFIP flood policies as of September 2026. See the full Shelby County home insurance overview for all FEMA hazard ratings and flood coverage details.
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 | $152,500 |
|---|---|
| Median year built | 1959 |
| Owner-occupied share | 72% |
| Share of owner-occupied homes with a mortgage | 59% |
| Top county hazard | Hail (Relatively Moderate) |
| Active NFIP policies in Shelby County | 31 |
| Home insurance premium | $1,342 - statewide average (NAIC, 2023 data) |
Nearby towns
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)