Cerro Gordo County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa has a population of 42,632 across 568 square miles, down 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $3.73 bn in 2024, 1,357 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 55 7(a) approvals worth $21.0 m.
119 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Cerro Gordo County
How many people live in Cerro Gordo County
- Population42,632
- Households19,538
- Average household size2.18
- Median household income$68,189
- Median age44.0
- Median gross rent$850 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$166,400
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher24.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over30,683
- Population under 188,861
- Share under 1820.8 percent
- Population 65 and over10,036
- Share 65 and over23.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6423,735
- Civilian labor force22,028
- Unemployment rate2.6 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.2 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties13th of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1152nd
Cerro Gordo County is the 13th largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.5 percent against 20.8 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cerro Gordo County
Is Cerro Gordo County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.47 percent
- Census 2020 base population43,127
- Births, 2024427
- Deaths, 2024506
- Natural change, 2024-79
- Net domestic migration, 2024-26
- Net international migration, 2024129
- Total net migration, 2024103
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-311
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2351st
The county has lost 1.47 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cerro Gordo County
Where people moving to Cerro Gordo County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving994
- People arriving, from those returns1,699
- Adjusted gross income arriving$67.0 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$67,400
- Largest single originCerro Gordo County Non-migrants (16,569 households)
- Largest single destination (16,569 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerro Gordo County Non-migrants | 16,569 | 32,348 | $1.42 bn |
| Other flows - Different State | 414 | 774 | $36.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 222 | 342 | $13.3 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 192 | 344 | $24.1 m |
| Other flows - West | 118 | 228 | $6.0 m |
| Other flows - South | 104 | 202 | $6.1 m |
| Worth County | 83 | 125 | $4.1 m |
| Floyd County | 62 | 105 | $2.3 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Cerro Gordo County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Cerro Gordo County
What the Cerro Gordo County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$3.73 bn
- County GDP, 2023$3.60 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.6 percent
- GDP change over five years42.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Iowa counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents858th
- GDP per resident$87,481
Output grew 3.6 percent in the latest year and 42.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Cerro Gordo County
Who employs people in Cerro Gordo County
- Covered employment, annual average23,531
- Establishments reporting1,681
- Average annual pay$54,949
- Average weekly wage$1,057
- Sector 62, employment5,113
- Sector 62, average annual pay$67,068
- Sector 44-45, employment3,329
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$34,769
- Sector 31-33, employment2,718
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$61,154
- Sector 72, employment2,043
- Sector 72, average annual pay$21,242
- Sector 23, employment1,254
- Sector 42, employment1,059
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 5,113 | 202 | $67,068 |
| Sector 44-45 | 3,329 | 210 | $34,769 |
| Sector 31-33 | 2,718 | 60 | $61,154 |
| Sector 72 | 2,043 | 125 | $21,242 |
| Sector 23 | 1,254 | 136 | $75,620 |
| Sector 42 | 1,059 | 115 | $74,227 |
| Sector 56 | 1,013 | 88 | $40,237 |
| Sector 54 | 805 | 150 | $78,533 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 5,113 jobs, 21.7 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cerro Gordo County
What businesses operate in Cerro Gordo County
- Establishments, all industries1,357
- Employment at those establishments20,024
- Annual payroll$1.00 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents31.8
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cerro Gordo County
What is being built in Cerro Gordo County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202452
- Declared construction value permitted$20.4 m
- Single family units authorised30
- Multifamily units authorised22
- Multifamily share of units42.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$392,904
- Units authorised per 1,000 households2.7
Multifamily is 42.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cerro Gordo County
How much SBA lending happens in Cerro Gordo County
- 7(a) approvals recorded55
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$21.0 m
- Average 7(a) approval$381,349
- Median 7(a) approval$150,000
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$995,000
- Largest single approval$4,400,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)407
- Jobs per approval7.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active13
- Distinct industries receiving approvals39
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer10.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms6
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter45
- Franchise loans8
- Franchise share of approvals14.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAutomotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance (4)
- Most active lenderClear Lake Bank & Trust Company (27)
- 504 approvals recorded29
- 504 gross approval dollars$18.2 m
- Average 504 approval$628,138
- Median 504 approval$371,000
- Distinct CDCs active4
- 504 jobs per approval8.2
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved13.1
- Most active CDCIowa Business Growth Company (16)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals65.5 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$39.2 m
The average approval of $381,349 sits well above the median of $150,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 10.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cerro Gordo County
Do SBA loans in Cerro Gordo County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded12
- Paid in full12
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full12
- Status: Exempt from disclosure41
- Status: Cancelled2
Of the 12 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cerro Gordo County
Which parts of Cerro Gordo County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- Mason City, approvals40
- CLEAR LAKE, approvals12
- ROCKWELL, approvals2
- THORNTON, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Mason City | 40 | $10,679,400 |
| CLEAR LAKE | 12 | $9,664,800 |
| ROCKWELL | 2 | $576,000 |
| THORNTON | 1 | $54,000 |
Mason City accounts for 40 approvals against 12 in CLEAR LAKE. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cerro Gordo County
How big is Cerro Gordo County
- Land area568 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties55th of 99
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south24 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land75
- Establishments per square mile2.39
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Cerro Gordo County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Cerro Gordo County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population42,632
- Households19,538
- Average household size2.18
- Median household income$68,189
- Median age44.0
Common questions
Cerro Gordo County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa?
42,632, in 19,538 households, ranking 13th of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cerro Gordo County growing?
The population has fallen 1.47 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 427 births against 506 deaths, with net migration of 103. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cerro Gordo County?
$68,189. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $166,400, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $850 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Cerro Gordo County?
1,357 establishments, employing 20,024 people with an annual payroll of $1.00 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Cerro Gordo County?
Average annual pay is $54,949, or $1,057 a week, across 23,531 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cerro Gordo County?
55 7(a) approvals totalling $21.0 m since FY2020, across 13 lenders, with a median approval of $150,000, plus 29 504 approvals worth $18.2 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Cerro Gordo County get paid back?
Of the 12 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Cerro Gordo County?
52 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $20.4 m. Multifamily was 42.3 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cerro Gordo County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Cerro Gordo County come from?
The largest single origin is Cerro Gordo County Non-migrants, with 16,569 households. Arriving households report an average income of $67,400 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cerro Gordo County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Cerro Gordo County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.