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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.68° N · 93.63° W · GEOID 1970995

Saylorville

Polk County, Iowa · part of the Des Moines, IA metro

Limited data population under 5,000

IowaSaylorville, IASaylorvilleSaylorville

The short answer

Saylorville is home to 3,366 people. Median household income is $117,821 a year and median rent is $1,642 a month, 16.7% 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 $314,300, about 2.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,642
20% above the median place
Median household income
$117,821
47% above the median place
Median home value
$314,300
2% below the median place
Unemployment
11.4%
133% above the median place

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 Saylorville

  • Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 12.6% a year while rent rose -0.6%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 86 Iowa places.
  • 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 95% of places its size. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places.
  • Unemployment averaged 11.4% over the survey period, higher than in 92% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 56 Iowa places.
  • The median resident is 50.5 years old, older than in 92% of places its size. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 110 hours a year commuting, less than in 91% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 92 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Saylorville

Polk County loses about 0.2 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in20,117
Moved out20,218
Net−101

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Iowa, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within IowaOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$65K
Leavers$69K

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

Who moves here
5.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Polk County report $65,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $68,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$65,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,642 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,918 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $314,300.
Getting to work
18 minutes each way on average; 16.6% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Seven Hills, OH matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in7
$65,403
7% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$68,888
2% below the median place
Moved here in the past year1
5.5%
3% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureSaylorvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.5%3% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.0%4% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-0.267% above
Income of households moving in7County figure$65,4037% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$68,8882% below
02

What it costs to live here

Homeownership is 93.7%, 41% above the median place.

Saylorville16.7%
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
$65,680
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
16.7%
18% below the median place
Home price to income
2.7x
30% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
17%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$105,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Saylorville, $1,642 a month, and local prices for everything else (93.1 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Saylorville, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Bristol, WI12.9% vs 16.7%$0Compare
Johnsburg, IL11.2% vs 16.7%$200Compare
Mack, OH13.4% vs 16.7%$3,200Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Saylorville? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Homeownership1
93.7%
41% above the median place
Property tax rate1
1.3%
44% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$4,121
26% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureSaylorvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,64220% above
Rent to income116.7%18% below
Property tax rate11.3%44% above
Home price to income12.7x30% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure91.79% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,36016% below
HUD area median income4County figure$116,4008% above
Property tax paid (median)1$4,12126% above
Median home value1$314,3002% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.7%47% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure40.4%22% below
Homeownership193.7%41% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure46.2%9% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,9182% above
Vacant homes1County figure6.0%15% below
Median year built119740% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Unemployment1
11.4%
133% above the median place
Mean commute1
18 min
30% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$117,821 +47%
Income per person$55,770 +39%
Works from home16.6% +34%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureSaylorvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$117,82147% above
Income per person1$55,77039% above
Unemployment111.4%133% above
Average annual pay6County figure$75,17614% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.6%3% below
Jobs6County figure314,942109% above
Poverty rate1County figure10.3%4% below
Mean commute118 min30% below
Works from home116.6%34% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 50.5, 29% above the median place.

Median age1
50.5
29% above the median place
High school or higher1
98.0%
6% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.3%
3% above the median place
All 8 people measures
MeasureSaylorvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,3666646th largest
Median age150.529% above
Bachelor's or higher129.4%8% below
High school or higher198.0%6% above
Household size12.50% above
Born abroad1County figure10.1%14% above
No health insurance1County figure5.3%17% below
Homes with broadband195.3%3% above
05

Life in Saylorville

210 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.9 −42%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k17.8 +60%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails3 km +65%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars23.0 +11%
Shops31.7 +5%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.0 +22%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.1 +9%
Child care centers2.5 +9%

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

Public schools11
134
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students11
77,436
above the median place (median 4,897)
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
23.0
11% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureSaylorvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure134above (median 9)
Public school students11County figure77,436above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher11County figure15.61% above
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure23.011% above
Shops per 10k8County figure31.75% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.022% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure22.19% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.59% above
Parks per 10k95.942% below
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k917.860% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails93.365% above
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure210above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 13°F, 50% 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 Saylorville. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low12
13°F
50% below the median place
Tornado risk13
98.1
21% above the median place
Hurricane risk13
27.5
61% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureSaylorvilleAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high12County figure85°F2% below
January average low12County figure13°F50% below
Average temperature12County figure50°F9% below
Annual precipitation12County figure35.8 in18% below
Natural hazard risk13County figure92.01% below
Hurricane risk13County figure27.561% below
Tornado risk13County figure98.121% above
Wildfire risk13County figure57.76% below
Heat wave risk13County figure96.77% above
Median air quality index14County figure442% above
Good air days14County figure61.4%10% below
08

Saylorville in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 16% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 17% 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$1,642/mo (2023)$2,090/mo$1,690 to $2,590/mo+3.5%
Median household income$117,821 (2024)$153,000$129,500 to $181,000+4.5%
Median home value$314,300 (2024)$453,000$329,000 to $625,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 3.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.7 now.

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

09

Places like Saylorville

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

PlaceRentIncome
Seven Hills, OH$1,586$97,222Compare
Lake Holiday, IL$1,496$107,875Compare
Middletown, PA$1,545$97,607Compare
Shiloh, PA$1,530$94,324Compare
Shiloh, PAMiddletown, PALake Holiday, ILSeven Hills, OHSaylorville, IASaylorvilleSeven HillsLake HolidayShilohSaylorvilleSeven HillsLake HolidayShiloh

Common questions

Is Saylorville a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2023 surveys, household income rose 12.6% a year while rent rose -0.6%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 86 Iowa places. 94% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 95% of places its size. It is the highest of 86 Iowa places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Saylorville expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 16.7% 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 $314,300.

What salary do you need to live in Saylorville?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $65,680 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Saylorville?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Seven Hills, OH, Lake Holiday, IL, Middletown, PA and Shiloh, PA.

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. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  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 Saylorville with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Saylorville itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/saylorville-iowa

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

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