Real estate · County · Iowa
Real estate businesses in Hardin County, IA
The real estate businesses in Hardin County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,329 of 2,229 scored counties
#42 of 69 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 11
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $91.1M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $12,949 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 191
- 91% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.6
- 59% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,455
- −2.2% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Hardin County
The site report maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Hardin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 real estate businesses in Hardin County. None of them are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.6, 59% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Households in Hardin County spend about $91.1M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $12,949 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 91% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Hardin County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 1,173 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts list 46 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hardin County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Hardin County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #1,329 of 2,229 scored counties and #42 of 69 scored counties in Iowa.
How Hardin County compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Hardin County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.6 | 24.9 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 191 | 130 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 1,173 | 648 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.9% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $12,949 | $14,016 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $65,069 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 10
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $523K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 46Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Hardin County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Hardin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,455−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,038
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 569 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,069+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,622
- Median home value
- $122,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,424
- Daytime population
- 15,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardin County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the real estate businesses on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Hardin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardReal estate across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Hardin County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Benton County, IA | 76 | 12 | 11.8 | 285 | +1.8% | #87 of 2,229 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 71 | 23 | 11.1 | 314 | +9.0% | #181 of 2,229 |
| 3Bremer County, IA | 66 | 15 | 15.4 | 215 | +1.1% | #344 of 2,229 |
| 4Guthrie County, IA | 65 | 5 | 10.9 | 302 | +1.6% | #365 of 2,229 |
| 5Jones County, IA | 64 | 12 | 14.6 | 215 | +2.9% | #409 of 2,229 |
| 6Cedar County, IA | 63 | 7 | 9.2 | 354 | −0.7% | #431 of 2,229 |
| 7Crawford County, IA | 63 | 6 | 9.5 | 325 | −1.5% | #434 of 2,229 |
| 8Madison County, IA | 63 | 10 | 14.9 | 228 | +3.8% | #446 of 2,229 |
| 9Plymouth County, IA | 63 | 15 | 14.5 | 227 | 0.0% | #447 of 2,229 |
| 10Mills County, IA | 63 | 9 | 16.7 | 206 | +2.6% | #454 of 2,229 |
| 42Hardin County, IA | 45 | 11 | 15.6 | 191 | −2.2% | #1,329 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Hardin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Hardin County, IA?
There are 11 real estate businesses on map listings in Hardin County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023. Official counts also show 46 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hardin County, IA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $91.1M a year, or $12,949 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 11 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 91% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,038 households in Hardin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardin County, IA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Hardin County has 15.6 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 59% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 191, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Hardin County would have about 21, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,173 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S.
How fast is Hardin County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hardin County at 16,455 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,038 households. The median household income in Hardin County is $65,069 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Hardin County scores 45 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,329 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardin County. It maps the real estate businesses on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for real estate businesses · All 56 business types in Hardin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardin County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Hardin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.