Real estate · County · Iowa
Real estate businesses in Story County, IA
The real estate businesses in Story County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,973 of 2,229 scored counties
#61 of 69 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 121
- 8 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 91
- +23.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $540.5M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $13,893 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 103
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.1
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Story 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 Story 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
For real estate businesses, Story County has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #1,973 of 2,229 scored counties and #61 of 69 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Story County spend about $540.5M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $13,893 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 3% 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.
There are 121 real estate businesses on map listings in Story County as of September 2026. 8 of them (7%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 31.1, 19% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Story County was 91 in 2023, up 23.0% from 2019. That is one for every 428 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $40K has gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Story County. Population estimates put the population change in Story County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Story 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 31.1 | 24.9 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 103 | 130 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 428 | 648 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +23.0% | +13.9% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $13,893 | $14,016 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 74 → 91+23.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 396
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 255Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1218 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 125The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $40K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Story 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 |
| 61Story County, IA | 33 | 121 | 31.1 | 103 | +2.7% | #1,973 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Story 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 Story County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 121 real estate businesses in Story County. 8 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 91 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 23.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 255 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Story County, IA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $540.5M a year, or $13,893 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 121 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 3% 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 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Story County has 31.1 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 103, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Story County would have about 125, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 428 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Story County scores 33 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,973 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.