Homeowners in Pottawattamie County, IA pay a median $3,067 a year in property taxes, about 1.57% of the median home value of $195,700.
Data reviewed · ACS 2024 · Mortgage rates weekly · Methodology
Based on what homeowners in Pottawattamie County pay: median taxes paid divided by median home value. Your bill depends on your assessed value and local levies; check your latest tax bill to compare.
Enter any purchase price to see the full cost breakdown for Pottawattamie County.
Everything due at closing plus your first twelve months of ownership. The detail is below.
Your numbers as a one-page PDF: $195,700 home, 20% down, 30-year loan at this week's 7.24%. Rates move every week; the PDF keeps today's.
High flood risk. Flood insurance likely required by your lender. Verify the flood zone at msc.fema.gov.
All figures are estimates for planning purposes only. Mortgage payment assumes a 30-year fixed rate of 7.24%, the Freddie Mac PMMS average for the week ending October 29, 2026. Your lender will confirm the actual rate. Closing costs vary by lender and transaction. Consult a licensed real estate attorney and lender before making any financial decisions.
Pottawattamie County's 1.57% median tax-to-value ratio ranks 286th highest among the 3,134 US counties tracked, placing it in the top 10% highest nationally. Within Iowa's 99 counties, it's the 8th highest. On the county's median home value of $195,700, the typical homeowner pays $3,067 annually in property tax, $1,438 more than the national median of $1,629. At closing, Iowa's 0.16% combined real estate transfer tax adds roughly $313 on a median-priced home, typically paid by the seller. FEMA data shows 15.2% of the county's land area sits within a Special Flood Hazard Area, a high exposure level that may trigger mandatory flood insurance on mortgaged properties.
Ways buyers in Pottawattamie County may reduce their annual property tax. These programs apply statewide; verify county specifics with your local assessor.
Credit equal to the levy rate applied to $4,850 of taxable value for owner-occupied primary residences where the owner is an Iowa resident.
View official source →Starting assessment year 2024, homeowners age 65+ receive an additional $6,500 of taxable value exemption on their homestead.
View official source →100% property tax credit on the homestead for veterans with 100% permanent service-connected disability (or individual unemployability paid at 100% rate) and surviving spouses.
View official source →Honorably discharged veterans receive a $1,852 exemption on taxable value. Not stackable with the Disabled Veteran Homestead Tax Credit.
View official source →Last verified April 2026. Exemption amounts and eligibility change frequently. Always confirm with your county assessor before claiming.
Answers to common questions about buying a home in Pottawattamie County.
Homeowners in Pottawattamie County pay a median $3,067 a year in property taxes, from 2024 US Census ACS 5-year estimates. There is no single property tax rate for Pottawattamie County. The 1.57% figure commonly quoted is a county-wide median: the median annual property tax paid ($3,067) divided by the median home value ($195,700), from 2024 US Census ACS 5-year estimates. It is a statistic describing the county, not a rate levied on any particular property. Your own bill depends on your assessed value, the millage set by your overlapping taxing districts, any homestead or senior exemptions you qualify for, and special assessments. One thing to watch: the median reflects taxes actually paid by current owners, many of whom hold homestead exemptions and assessment caps, so a new buyer paying today's market price often pays more than 1.57% of the purchase price.
Iowa's combined real estate transfer tax is approximately 0.16% of the purchase price. On the median Pottawattamie County home value of $195,700, this adds roughly $313 at closing. $0.80/$500 (0.16%) on consideration above $500 (first $500 exempt), seller pays. Uniform statewide per Iowa Code Chapter 428A; counties receive a share but rate does not vary.
Partially. 15.2% of Pottawattamie County's land area lies within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area. Whether flood insurance is required depends on your specific property. Check msc.fema.gov before making an offer.
On Pottawattamie County's median home value of $195,700 with 20% down, buyer closing costs work out to roughly $3,660–$6,648, or 1.9–3.4% of the purchase price. That covers title insurance $800–$2,000; loan origination fee $783–$1,566; home appraisal $400–$700; home inspection $350–$600; recording fees $100–$300; prepaid mortgage interest $466; homeowners insurance (2 months) $250; property tax escrow (2-3 months) $511–$767. Transfer tax is listed separately. These are national ranges for each line item rather than Pottawattamie County quotes, so treat them as a planning range and use the calculator above for your own purchase price.
Every county-specific figure on this page links to the exact public dataset it comes from. Verify the numbers yourself against the original source.
Source for the $3,067/yr median taxes paid (ACS 2024 5-year estimates, variable B25103_001E).
Source for the $195,700 median home value (variable B25077_001E). The 1.57% median tax-to-value ratio is median taxes paid divided by median home value.
Source for the transfer tax used in the calculator (buyer 0.00%, seller 0.16%). Verified April 2026.
Source for the county's flood hazard exposure (coastal and inland flood exposure area as a share of county area).
The national dataset behind the county report, including its technical documentation and release notes.
Look up a specific property's flood zone and insurance rate map before making an offer on a home in Pottawattamie County.
Closing cost line items are national ranges, not county data. The methodology lists each range's source and the calculator's assumptions (mortgage rate, insurance, PMI).
Iowa property tax exemptions: official sources
Verified April 2026.
What every buyer should read before making an offer.
Seven signs in an HOA's budget, reserve study, minutes and insurance that raise the risk of a special assessment, the numbers behind each, and what to ask.
Read the guide →Your HOA resale packet holds the CC&Rs, budget, reserve study and minutes. What each one says, where the costly rules hide, and the order to read them in.
Read the guide →An HOA capped rentals at 10 of 50 homes and grandfathered the existing landlords. How to find rental restrictions before closing, and what they cost you.
Read the guide →