Affordability
Housing cost burden
Among households earning under $50,000 in Urbandale, an estimated 1226 households are paying more than they can afford for a home they rent, and 1112 households are paying more than they can afford for a home they own.
Cost burden refers to a household paying more than 30% of income on housing.
Severe cost burden refers to a household paying more than 50% of income on housing.
Housing cost burdens can break apart family budgets. High housing costs take up money otherwise needed for transportation, education, and other basic necessities.
Wages needed to afford housing
The National Low Income Housing Coalition releases an annual estimate of the hourly wage a person would need to earn to afford a typical two bedroom apartment. Here's local data:
Zip Code | Housing Wage |
---|---|
50263 | $22.12 |
50111 | $20.19 |
50131 | $22.88 |
50322 | $17.88 |
50323 | $26.92 |
Wages paid by essential jobs
The National Housing Conference's Paycheck to Paycheck report highlights the wages commonly paid by important occupations in our region:

Childcare worker
$13.86/hour

Retail salesperson
$12.56/hour

Home health/personal care aide
$13.86/hour

Restaurant cook
$14.39/hour
Income Profile
Number of households in poverty
2,368
That's 5% of the population.
Number of households earning under $50k/year
3,866
Median household income
$95,961
Housing Stock
Number of housing units
17,302
Percentage that are occupied
96%
Median value, owner occupied home
$242,500
Median rent
$944
Percentage of all housing units that are...
Owner occupied
78%
Renter occupied
22%
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About the data
You are viewing Community Profiles v 2.0 last updated in November, 2022.
Community data is drawn from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey with analysis by the Polk County Housing Trust Fund. Job map data is from the US Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies, LEHD via On the Map. Other data sources are noted where shown.