Oskaloosa, Iowa
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Steady. Within 1% of 2020, every year since.
11,493
people, the 35th-largest of Iowa's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Iowa's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
69.1%
of 5,951 jobs located in Oskaloosa are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 64% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$831
a month. Iowa's median is $972.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $439.
A $439 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Mahaska County.
- $578 Tract 9503
- $1,017 Tract 9507
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$1,063–$1,594
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $831 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 91 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 70% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 85% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.2% to the 5,162 homes here.
19–60
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 26% less than Iowa's.
$153,300
median home value in Oskaloosa.
- $153,300 Oskaloosa
- $208,000 Iowa
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year