West Branch, IA housing market
The typical West Branch home is worth about $304,000, up 4.4% in a year, 27% above the Iowa typical home.
Home values, sales, trends and how West Branch compares with the towns next door — updated as new data is published.
West Branch at a glance
Typical home value, 2016–2026
Show as a table
| January | West Branch | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $188,000 | $147,000 |
| 2018 | $191,000 | $152,000 |
| 2019 | $201,000 | $159,000 |
| 2020 | $213,000 | $167,000 |
| 2021 | $223,000 | $179,000 |
| 2022 | $253,000 | $195,000 |
| 2023 | $269,000 | $211,000 |
| 2024 | $274,000 | $218,000 |
| 2025 | $286,000 | $228,000 |
| 2026 | $298,000 | $236,000 |
| August 2026 | $304,000 | $240,000 |
50 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 50 new homes in West Branch in 2025: 5 single-family houses and 45 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $8.4 million to build. That's 19 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Iowa (4.7). Over the past 10 years, West Branch has permitted 376 homes in all.
Homes vs. people, 2010–2020
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, West Branch gained 187 residents while 120 new homes were permitted: about 1.6 new residents per new home. Building and growth moved roughly in step. Across Iowa: 1.3 new residents per new home.
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 and 2020 censuses. New homes: permits issued 2010–2019.
Show as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 45 | 8 | 37 | $9.7 million |
| 2025 | 50 | 5 | 45 | $8.4 million |
| 2024 | 37 | 10 | 27 | $8.4 million |
| 2023 | 79 | 7 | 72 | $13.3 million |
| 2022 | 66 | 16 | 50 | $15.4 million |
| 2021 | 32 | 10 | 22 | $4.6 million |
| 2020 | 30 | 9 | 21 | $4.5 million |
| 2019 | 28 | 8 | 20 | $4.3 million |
| 2018 | 30 | 30 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2017 | 13 | 8 | 5 | $2.5 million |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $2.8 million |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $617,000 |
| 2013 | 10 | 8 | 2 | $2.4 million |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $628,000 |
| 2011 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2010 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2009 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2008 | 12 | 6 | 6 | $2 million |
| 2007 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2006 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.6 million |
| 2005 | 19 | 1 | 18 | $1.5 million |
| 2004 | 22 | 3 | 19 | $1.6 million |
| 2003 | 14 | 7 | 7 | $1.8 million |
| 2002 | 19 | 7 | 12 | $1.7 million |
| 2001 | 21 | 9 | 12 | $1.9 million |
| 2000 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $2.6 million |
How West Branch 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, through August 2026.
3.3 years of income
The typical West Branch home costs about 3.3 years of the town's median household income, about the same as across Iowa (3.2).
How West Branch ranks on affordability →
Home value ÷ ACS median household income.
Owners, rent & taxes
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,100
HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in West Branch is $1,100 a month, utilities included: roughly what a modest, recently rented unit costs. Renters already in West Branch pay a median of $1,053. A two-bedroom takes about 14% of the town's median household income.
Studio $820 · 4 bedrooms $1,680
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, FY2026 Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (52358; Iowa City, IA HUD Metro FMR Area), weighted by land area. A Fair Market Rent is the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, August 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. 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.