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Cost of living, pay and housing

42.57° N · 92.16° W · GEOID 1922845

Dunkerton

Black Hawk County, Iowa · part of the Waterloo, IA metro

Computed by Citytistics from 13 public sources · Data bundle checked 2026-11-14 · How we calculate

Limited data population under 5,000

IowaDunkerton, IADunkertonDunkerton

The short answer

Dunkerton is home to 821 people. Median household income is $86,413 a year and median rent is $514 a month, 7.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $189,700, about 2.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$514
62% below the median place
Median household income
$86,413
8% above the median place
Median home value
$189,700
41% below the median place
Unemployment
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Dunkerton

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 5.1% a year while rent rose -3.2%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 86 Iowa places.
  • Median rent is $514 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Iowa places.
  • Unemployment averaged 0.0% over the survey period, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 56 Iowa places.
  • The median home is worth 2.2 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 91% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $982 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 85% of places its size.
01

Moving to Dunkerton

Black Hawk County loses about 1.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,524
Moved out4,671
Net−147

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bremer County, IA329335−6
Polk County, IA189348−159
Linn County, IA221279−58
Buchanan County, IA194169+25
Grundy County, IA183175+8
Butler County, IA138129+9
Tama County, IA116
Dallas County, IA114

Within Iowa, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IowaOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$48K
Leavers$55K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Black Hawk County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Black Hawk County report $48,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $55,000, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$20,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $514 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,496 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $189,700.
Getting to work
24 minutes each way on average; 12.4% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Brush, CO matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in8
$48,443
31% below the median place
Income of households moving out8
$54,960
22% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureDunkertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.7%17% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-1.4133% below
Income of households moving in8County figure$48,44331% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$54,96022% below
02

What it costs to live here

Median gross rent is $514, 62% below the median place.

Dunkerton7.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$20,560
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
7.1%
65% below the median place
Home price to income
2.2x
42% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
7%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$86,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Dunkerton, $514 a month, and local prices for everything else (92.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Dunkerton.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Dunkerton? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
84.6%
27% above the median place
Vacant homes1
13.1%
85% above the median place
Median home value1
$189,700
41% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureDunkertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$51462% below
Rent to income17.1%65% below
Property tax rate11.3%47% above
Home price to income12.2x42% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure87.114% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,09632% below
HUD area median income4County figure$91,00015% below
Property tax paid (median)1$2,53322% below
Median home value1$189,70041% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.8%44% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure37.6%27% below
Homeownership184.6%27% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure48.9%3% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,49620% below
Vacant homes113.1%85% above
Median year built119740% below
03

Work and pay

Unemployment is 0.0%, below the median place (median 4.9%).

Unemployment1
0.0%
below the median place (median 4.9%)
Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Poverty rate1
7.0%
35% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Income per person$34,232 −15%
Mean commute24 min −4%
Median household income$86,413 +8%
Works from home12.4% −1%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureDunkertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$86,4138% above
Income per person1$34,23215% below
Unemployment10.0%below (median 4.9%)
Average annual pay6County figure$59,8769% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure0.4%89% below
Jobs6County figure70,71353% below
Poverty rate17.0%35% below
Mean commute124 min4% below
Works from home112.4%1% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 97.8%, 6% above the median place.

High school or higher1
97.8%
6% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
86.5%
6% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
18.4%
43% below the median place
All 9 people measures
MeasureDunkertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18216646th largest
Population change since 20207-0.6%below (median 1.1%)
Median age139.51% above
Bachelor's or higher118.4%43% below
High school or higher197.8%6% above
Household size12.65% above
Born abroad1County figure6.5%27% below
No health insurance1County figure5.1%20% below
Homes with broadband186.5%6% below
05

Life in Dunkerton

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • Dunkerton Bridge listed 1998

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.2 +2%
Shops35.3 +17%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.5 +10%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.2 −15%
Child care centers2.7 +17%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public school students11
415
92% below the median place
Public schools11
2
78% below the median place
Students per teacher11
12.6
18% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureDunkertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11278% below
Public school students1141592% below
Students per teacher1112.618% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure21.22% above
Shops per 10k9County figure35.317% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure4.510% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure17.215% below
Child care centers per 10k9County figure2.717% above
National Register listings10192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 9°F, 63% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Dunkerton. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low12
9°F
63% below the median place
Heat wave risk13
44.8
50% below the median place
Average temperature12
47°F
14% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureDunkertonAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure83°F4% below
January average low12County figure9°F63% below
Average temperature12County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation12County figure37.1 in15% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure76.617% below
Hurricane risk13County figure17.176% below
Tornado risk13County figure91.412% above
Wildfire risk13County figure36.940% below
Heat wave risk13County figure44.850% below
Median air quality index14County figure4914% above
Good air days14County figure53.4%22% below
08

Dunkerton in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 7% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 7% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$514/mo (2024)$640/mo$520 to $780/mo+3.7%
Median household income$86,413 (2024)$109,500$92,500 to $130,000+4.1%
Median home value$189,700 (2024)$262,000$190,000 to $360,000+5.5%
Population835 (2025)840810 to 880+0.1%

The median home would be worth 2.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.2 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Dunkerton

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Brush, CO$692$73,382Compare
Napoleon, OH$819$76,639Compare
Colona, IL$838$79,700Compare
Pinckneyville, IL$416$69,583Compare
Pinckneyville, ILColona, ILNapoleon, OHBrush, CODunkerton, IADunkertonBrushNapoleonColonaPinckneyvilleDunkertonBrushNapoleonColonaPinckneyville

Common questions

Is Dunkerton a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 5.1% a year while rent rose -3.2%, so pay gained on rent more than in 96% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 86 Iowa places. Median rent is $514 a month, lower than in 99% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Iowa places. On cost, space and class size it scores 99 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Dunkerton expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 7.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $189,700.

What salary do you need to live in Dunkerton?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $20,560 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Dunkerton?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Brush, CO, Napoleon, OH, Colona, IL and Pinckneyville, IL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Dunkerton with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Dunkerton itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/dunkerton-iowa

Citytistics. “Dunkerton, Iowa.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/dunkerton-iowa/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.