A typical Carter Lake home is worth about $214,000
Up 4.9% in a year, 11% below the Iowa typical home.
Only 4 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
What kind of housing town is Carter Lake?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
Up 35.3% in five years
Faster than Iowa (26.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Carter Lake | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $113,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $118,000 | $152,000 |
| 2019 | $122,000 | $159,000 |
| 2020 | $132,000 | $167,000 |
| 2021 | $144,000 | $179,000 |
| 2022 | $159,000 | $195,000 |
| 2023 | $176,000 | $211,000 |
| 2024 | $189,000 | $218,000 |
| 2025 | $206,000 | $228,000 |
| 2026 | $210,000 | $236,000 |
| August 2026 | $214,000 | $240,000 |
A typical Carter Lake home worth $113K in September 2016 is worth about $214K today.
How Carter Lake ranks on rising home prices →
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through August 2026.
60 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 60 new homes in Carter Lake in 2025: 6 single-family houses and 54 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $6.8 million to build. That's 16 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Iowa (4.7). Over the past 10 years, Carter Lake has permitted 70 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Carter Lake gained 6 residents while 36 new homes were permitted: about 0.2 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. Across Iowa: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 37 | 4 | 33 | $4.2 million |
| 2025 | 60 | 6 | 54 | $6.8 million |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $400,000 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $772,000 |
| 2016 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $420,000 |
| 2015 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $512,000 |
| 2014 | 8 | 4 | 4 | $1.6 million |
| 2013 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $507,000 |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| 2011 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $1.2 million |
| 2010 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | 3 | $460,000 |
| 2008 | 6 | 3 | 3 | $740,000 |
| 2007 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $154,000 |
| 2006 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2005 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2004 | 50 | 22 | 28 | $6.2 million |
| 2003 | 22 | 10 | 12 | $2.9 million |
| 2002 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2001 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2000 | 21 | 19 | 2 | $4.1 million |
How Carter Lake ranks on new homes being built →
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
91% of Carter Lake households own their home
Half of Carter Lake’s homes were built before 1969.
Iowa: 72% own.
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024.
A typical home costs 2.5 years of income
Less than across Iowa (3.2 years). Try your own numbers below.
That covers a typical Carter Lake home, with $93K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,340 a month here, $40 less than owning.
How Carter Lake ranks on affordability →
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Carter Lake’s typical property tax (1.46% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,340
Renters already here pay a median of $1,323.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Carter Lake vs. its neighbors
Carter Lake is the least expensive of 3 neighboring towns. Tap one to see its housing page.
Compare more
| Town | Typical value | 1-yr change | 2-bed rent | New homes 2025 | Median income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake | $214K | +4.9% | $1,340 | 60 | $85,349 |
| Omaha | $297K | +1.9% | $1,450 | 3,776 | $73,201 |
| Council Bluffs | $230K | +2.5% | $1,190 | 212 | $64,578 |
Typical value: Zillow Home Value Index; * Census median home value where Zillow has none. † FHFA price index change where Zillow has none. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. New homes: Census building permits.
Neighbors talk housing
What Carter Lake buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listings link to their publishers. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer.