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Cost of living, pay and housing

42.41° N · 92.27° W · GEOID 1982290

Washburn

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

Limited data population under 5,000

IowaWashburn, IAWashburnWashburn

The short answer

Washburn is home to 714 people. Median household income is $61,406 a year and median rent is $985 a month, 19.2% 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 $142,300, about 2.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$985
28% below the median place
Median household income
$61,406
24% below the median place
Median home value
$142,300
55% below the median place
Unemployment
4.6%
7% below 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 Washburn

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 69 Iowa places.
  • Between the 2023 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 5.9% a year while household income rose -1.5%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 86 Iowa places.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs only about $90 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 90% of places its size. It is the lowest of 86 Iowa places.
  • The median resident is 31.8 years old, younger than in 92% of places its size.
  • The median home is worth 2.3 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 89% of places its size.
01

Moving to Washburn

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

Polk County, IA189348−159
Linn County, IA221279−58
Grundy County, IA183175+8
Butler County, IA138129+9
Tama County, IA116

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
$39,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $985 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,075 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $142,300.
Getting to work
14 minutes each way on average; 8.9% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Webb City, MO matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in7
$48,443
31% below the median place
Income of households moving out7
$54,960
22% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWashburnAmong 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 people7County figure-1.4133% below
Income of households moving in7County figure$48,44331% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$54,96022% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Washburn19.2%
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
$39,400
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
19.2%
6% below the median place
Home price to income
2.3x
39% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
19%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$53,500
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Washburn, $985 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 Washburn.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Washburn? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,075
43% below the median place
Median home value1
$142,300
55% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWashburnAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$98528% below
Rent to income119.2%6% below
Property tax rate11.1%18% above
Home price to income12.3x39% 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$1,52753% below
Median home value1$142,30055% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure1.8%44% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure37.6%27% below
Homeownership184.9%28% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure48.9%3% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,07543% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119591% 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%)
Mean commute1
14 min
43% below the median place
Median household income1
$61,406
24% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWashburnAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$61,40624% below
Income per person1$33,60416% below
Unemployment1County figure4.6%7% below
Average annual pay6County figure$59,8769% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure0.4%89% below
Jobs6County figure70,71353% below
Poverty rate1County figure14.9%39% above
Mean commute114 min43% below
Works from home1County figure8.9%29% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
Homes with broadband1
100.0%
8% above the median place
Median age1
31.8
18% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher25.7% −20%
High school or higher94.1% +2%
Household size2.6 +5%
All 8 people measures
MeasureWashburnAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17146646th largest
Median age131.818% below
Bachelor's or higher125.7%20% below
High school or higher194.1%2% above
Household size12.65% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure5.1%20% below
Homes with broadband1100.0%8% above
05

Life in Washburn

50 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

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.

Shops per 10k8
35.3
17% above the median place
Public schools10
34
278% above the median place
Public school students10
18,224
272% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureWashburnAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure34278% above
Public school students10County figure18,224272% above
Students per teacher10County figure14.09% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.22% above
Shops per 10k8County figure35.317% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure4.510% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure17.215% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.717% above
National Register listings9County figure50285% above
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 Washburn. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low11
9°F
63% below the median place
Heat wave risk12
44.8
50% below the median place
Average temperature11
47°F
14% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureWashburnAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure83°F4% below
January average low11County figure9°F63% below
Average temperature11County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation11County figure37.1 in15% below
Natural hazard risk12County figure76.617% below
Hurricane risk12County figure17.176% below
Tornado risk12County figure91.412% above
Wildfire risk12County figure36.940% below
Heat wave risk12County figure44.850% below
Median air quality index13County figure4914% above
Good air days13County figure53.4%22% below
08

Washburn in 2030: where the trends point

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 household income$61,406 (2024)$75,500$64,000 to $89,500+3.5%
Median home value$142,300 (2024)$198,000$144,000 to $273,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 2.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.3 now.

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

09

Places like Washburn

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

PlaceRentIncome
Webb City, MO$1,008$65,469Compare
Weslaco, TX$967$59,551Compare
Clovis, NM$988$54,820Compare
North College Hill, OH$1,064$64,655Compare
North College Hill, OHClovis, NMWeslaco, TXWebb City, MOWashburn, IAWashburnWebb CityWeslacoClovisNorth College HillWashburnWebb CityWeslacoClovisNorth College Hill

Common questions

Is Washburn a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 69 Iowa places. Between the 2023 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 5.9% a year while household income rose -1.5%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 86 Iowa places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Washburn expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 19.2% 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 $142,300.

What salary do you need to live in Washburn?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $39,400 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Washburn?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Webb City, MO, Weslaco, TX, Clovis, NM and North College Hill, OH.

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. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 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
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. 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 Washburn with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Washburn itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/washburn-iowa

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

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