Lucas County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Lucas County, Iowa has a population of 8,716 across 431 square miles, up 1.4 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $362.4 m in 2024, 187 establishments operate here.
78 sourced county values · tier FULL · 8 sections
Lucas County
How many people live in Lucas County
- Population8,716
- Households3,708
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$61,793
- Median age41.9
- Median gross rent$709 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$120,200
- Home value to household income1.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher15.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over6,098
- Population under 182,049
- Share under 1823.5 percent
- Population 65 and over1,917
- Share 65 and over22.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 644,750
- Civilian labor force4,165
- Unemployment rate5.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.5 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties83rd of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2589th
Lucas County is the 83rd largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 1.9 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.5 percent against 22.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Lucas County
Is Lucas County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.42 percent
- Census 2020 base population8,635
- Births, 2024111
- Deaths, 2024129
- Natural change, 2024-18
- Net domestic migration, 2024-9
- Net international migration, 202412
- Total net migration, 20243
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024160
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1364th
The county has grown 1.42 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.
Lucas County
Where people moving to Lucas County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving189
- People arriving, from those returns385
- Adjusted gross income arriving$9.7 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$51,122
- Largest single originLucas County Non-migrants (3,193 households)
- Largest single destination (3,193 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas County Non-migrants | 3,193 | 6,827 | $201.6 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 111 | 219 | $5.2 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 47 | 107 | $2.8 m |
| Polk County | 31 | 59 | $1.7 m |
| Other flows - West | 25 | 67 | $1.2 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 22 | 40 | $1.6 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Lucas 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.
Lucas County
What the Lucas County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$362.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$355.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.9 percent
- GDP change over five years6.8 percent
- Rank by GDP among Iowa counties94th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2604th
- GDP per resident$41,582
Output grew 1.9 percent in the latest year and 6.8 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.
Lucas County
Who employs people in Lucas County
- Covered employment, annual average3,351
- Establishments reporting252
- Average annual pay$50,709
- Average weekly wage$975
- Sector 31-33, employment400
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$51,730
- Sector 44-45, employment330
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$28,123
- Sector 23, employment86
- Sector 23, average annual pay$55,513
- Sector 52, employment74
- Sector 52, average annual pay$60,580
- Sector 54, employment74
- Sector 81, employment72
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 400 | 16 | $51,730 |
| Sector 44-45 | 330 | 27 | $28,123 |
| Sector 23 | 86 | 24 | $55,513 |
| Sector 52 | 74 | 12 | $60,580 |
| Sector 54 | 74 | 22 | $45,979 |
| Sector 81 | 72 | 14 | $43,447 |
| Sector 11 | 48 | 6 | $35,626 |
| Sector 42 | 25 | 5 | $59,385 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 400 jobs, 11.9 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.
Lucas County
What businesses operate in Lucas County
- Establishments, all industries187
- Employment at those establishments4,663
- Annual payroll$215.1 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents21.5
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.
Lucas County
What is being built in Lucas County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202429
- Declared construction value permitted$4.0 m
- Single family units authorised3
- Multifamily units authorised26
- Multifamily share of units89.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$136,552
- Units authorised per 1,000 households7.8
Multifamily is 89.7 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Lucas County
How big is Lucas County
- Land area431 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties89th of 99
- Width, east to west24 mi
- Height, north to south18.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land20
- Establishments per square mile0.43
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 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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 Lucas 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 Lucas County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population8,716
- Households3,708
- Average household size2.35
- Median household income$61,793
- Median age41.9
Common questions
Lucas County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Lucas County, Iowa?
8,716, in 3,708 households, ranking 83rd of 99 Iowa counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Lucas County growing?
The population has grown 1.42 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 111 births against 129 deaths, with net migration of 3. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Lucas County?
$61,793. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $120,200, which is 1.9 times income, and median gross rent is $709 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Lucas County?
187 establishments, employing 4,663 people with an annual payroll of $215.1 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 Lucas County?
Average annual pay is $50,709, or $975 a week, across 3,351 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is being built in Lucas County?
29 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $4.0 m. Multifamily was 89.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Lucas 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 Lucas County come from?
The largest single origin is Lucas County Non-migrants, with 3,193 households. Arriving households report an average income of $51,122 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 Lucas 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 Lucas 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.