Real estate · County · Iowa
Real estate businesses in Jefferson County, IA
How Jefferson County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for real estate businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,997 of 2,229 scored counties
#62 of 69 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 14
- 2 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $89.1M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $12,816 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 147
- 47% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 48% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,291
- −2.5% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
Jefferson County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #1,997 of 2,229 scored counties and #62 of 69 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Jefferson County spend about $89.1M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $12,816 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 47% 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.
Jefferson County has 14 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 6% across the U.S. That is 20.1 per 10,000 households, 48% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Jefferson County classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors. That is one for every 695 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Jefferson County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Jefferson 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 | Jefferson County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 24.9 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 147 | 130 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 695 | 648 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +13.9% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $12,816 | $14,016 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $61,620 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 15
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $587K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 54Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 142 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,291−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 6,952
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 436 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $61,620+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,383
- Median home value
- $163,400
- Jobs located here
- 7,562
- Daytime population
- 16,437Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 |
| 62Jefferson County, IA | 32 | 14 | 20.1 | 147 | −2.5% | #1,997 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 14 real estate businesses in Jefferson County. 2 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023. Official counts also show 54 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Jefferson County, IA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $89.1M a year, or $12,816 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 14 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 47% 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. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,952 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, IA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Jefferson County has 20.1 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 48% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 147, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 21, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 695 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 15,291 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,952 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $61,620, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Jefferson County scores 32 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,997 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.