Delaware County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Delaware County, Iowa has a population of 17,558 across 578 square miles, up 0.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.26 bn in 2024, 522 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 12 7(a) approvals worth $4.6 m.
117 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Delaware County
How many people live in Delaware County
- Population17,558
- Households7,369
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$74,989
- Median age43.4
- Median gross rent$764 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$177,900
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income12.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher22.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,233
- Population under 184,084
- Share under 1823.3 percent
- Population 65 and over3,784
- Share 65 and over21.6 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 649,690
- Civilian labor force9,712
- Unemployment rate2.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over72.1 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties40th of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2007th
Delaware County is the 40th 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 under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.3 percent against 21.6 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Delaware County
Is Delaware County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base0.74 percent
- Census 2020 base population17,479
- Births, 2024203
- Deaths, 2024207
- Natural change, 2024-4
- Net domestic migration, 202423
- Net international migration, 20248
- Total net migration, 202431
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024129
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1575th
The county has grown 0.74 percent 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.
Delaware County
Where people moving to Delaware County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving358
- People arriving, from those returns634
- Adjusted gross income arriving$23.3 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$65,212
- Largest single originDelaware County Non-migrants (6,831 households)
- Largest single destination (6,831 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County Non-migrants | 6,831 | 14,697 | $512.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 92 | 152 | $5.7 m |
| Linn County | 70 | 125 | $6.4 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 63 | 123 | $3.9 m |
| Dubuque County | 58 | 105 | $3.8 m |
| Clayton County | 53 | 89 | $2.6 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 37 | 69 | $2.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 26 | 54 | $1.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Delaware 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.
Delaware County
What the Delaware County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.26 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.20 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.8 percent
- GDP change over five years35.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among Iowa counties36th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1660th
- GDP per resident$71,592
Output grew 4.8 percent in the latest year and 35.9 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.
Delaware County
Who employs people in Delaware County
- Covered employment, annual average6,669
- Establishments reporting606
- Average annual pay$53,287
- Average weekly wage$1,025
- Sector 31-33, employment1,694
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$69,210
- Sector 44-45, employment742
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$31,263
- Sector 42, employment448
- Sector 42, average annual pay$65,582
- Sector 23, employment375
- Sector 23, average annual pay$60,379
- Sector 72, employment336
- Sector 52, employment262
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 1,694 | 39 | $69,210 |
| Sector 44-45 | 742 | 54 | $31,263 |
| Sector 42 | 448 | 48 | $65,582 |
| Sector 23 | 375 | 65 | $60,379 |
| Sector 72 | 336 | 36 | $14,404 |
| Sector 52 | 262 | 41 | $74,814 |
| Sector 81 | 178 | 48 | $34,424 |
| Sector 54 | 126 | 39 | $70,629 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,694 jobs, 25.4 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.
Delaware County
What businesses operate in Delaware County
- Establishments, all industries522
- Employment at those establishments5,906
- Annual payroll$300.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents29.7
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.
Delaware County
What is being built in Delaware County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202452
- Declared construction value permitted$12.5 m
- Single family units authorised22
- Multifamily units authorised30
- Multifamily share of units57.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$240,327
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.1
Multifamily is 57.7 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Delaware County
How much SBA lending happens in Delaware County
- 7(a) approvals recorded12
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$4.6 m
- Average 7(a) approval$383,083
- Median 7(a) approval$142,000
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$766,000
- Largest single approval$2,500,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)147
- Jobs per approval12.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active6
- Distinct industries receiving approvals11
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer8.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter8
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals16.7 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAutomotive Parts and Accessories Retailers (2)
- Most active lenderCommunity Savings Bank (5)
- 504 approvals recorded7
- 504 gross approval dollars$5.8 m
- Average 504 approval$832,429
- Median 504 approval$503,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval26.9
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved32.3
- Most active CDCE.C.I.A. Business Growth, Inc. (5)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals63.2 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$10.4 m
The average approval of $383,083 sits well above the median of $142,000, 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 8.3 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.
Delaware County
Do SBA loans in Delaware County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded5
- Paid in full5
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure7
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 5 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Delaware County
Which parts of Delaware County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending4
- Manchester, approvals9
- Edgewood, approvals1
- HOPKINTON, approvals1
- Delhi, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester | 9 | $1,917,000 |
| Edgewood | 1 | $2,500,000 |
| HOPKINTON | 1 | $20,000 |
| Delhi | 1 | $160,000 |
Manchester accounts for 9 approvals against 1 in Edgewood. 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.
Delaware County
How big is Delaware County
- Land area578 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties33rd of 99
- Width, east to west24.4 mi
- Height, north to south24.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land30
- Establishments per square mile0.90
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 Delaware 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 Delaware County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population17,558
- Households7,369
- Average household size2.38
- Median household income$74,989
- Median age43.4
Common questions
Delaware County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Delaware County, Iowa?
17,558, in 7,369 households, ranking 40th of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Delaware County growing?
The population has grown 0.74 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 203 births against 207 deaths, with net migration of 31. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Delaware County?
$74,989. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $177,900, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $764 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Delaware County?
522 establishments, employing 5,906 people with an annual payroll of $300.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Delaware County?
Average annual pay is $53,287, or $1,025 a week, across 6,669 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Delaware County?
12 7(a) approvals totalling $4.6 m since FY2020, across 6 lenders, with a median approval of $142,000, plus 7 504 approvals worth $5.8 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Delaware County?
52 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $12.5 m. Multifamily was 57.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Delaware 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 Delaware County come from?
The largest single origin is Delaware County Non-migrants, with 6,831 households. Arriving households report an average income of $65,212 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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.