Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Pottawattamie County index 1978–2025
Pottawattamie County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Pottawattamie County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
Council Bluffs, Iowa (Pottawattamie County), authorised 522 housing units through building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, −11.8% on the previous 12 months.
90 of those units were single-family houses (17%), 15 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 417 in buildings of five or more units. That is 8.3 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 6.6 and well above the state's 4.0.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 6,952 units, with the busiest year 2024 (632 units). Pottawattamie County's FHFA house price index rose +87.5% over the ten years to 2025.
522units permitted, 12 months to August 2026−11.8% on the previous 12 months
90single-family units17% of the total
417units in 5+ unit buildings80% of the total
8.3units per 1,000 residentsPottawattamie County 6.6 · Iowa 4.0
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Council Bluffs by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Council Bluffs
Pottawattamie County
Iowa
United States
All housing units
522
612
12,933
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
90 (17%)
147 (24%)
7,399 (57%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
12
12
462
34,814
3–4 units
3
3
322
17,298
5 or more units
417 (80%)
450 (74%)
4,750 (37%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
8.3
6.6
4.0
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
−11.8%
−5.7%
−5.1%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Council Bluffs by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
6,952 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2024. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Pottawattamie County
FHFA's index for Pottawattamie County rose +87.5% over the ten years to 2025 (+6.5% a year) and +5.5% in the latest year, against +65.4% and +3.2% for Iowa. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Council Bluffs, IA?
522 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 592 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Council Bluffs?
90 single-family units, 12 in two-unit buildings, 3 in three- and four-unit buildings and 417 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Council Bluffs compare with its county and state?
8.3 units per 1,000 residents in Council Bluffs, 6.6 in Pottawattamie County and 4.0 in Iowa.
How have home prices moved in Pottawattamie County?
FHFA's index for Pottawattamie County rose +87.5% over the ten years to 2025 and +5.5% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 151300); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.