Jackson County

Jackson County lands at the 93rd percentile nationally out of 1,000 counties scored, with a median home price of $244,101 and year-over-year appreciation of 6.49%. The appreciation score of 90 out of 100 is the headline number here, and it explains the ranking. What the data does not support is a cash-flow story: the cash-flow score is zero, and no cap rate or cash-on-cash return is calculable from the provided figures. With a $244,101 purchase price, a $48,820 down payment, and a 6.85% interest rate, carrying costs are real before you even get to taxes and insurance. The affordability index sits at 78, which positions this market as moderately accessible relative to national norms, and the stability score of 50 suggests a market that is neither a fortress nor a flier on the downside risk scale. The picture that emerges is a county priced for growth, not yield.

That appreciation score of 90 and 6.49% annual price gains tell you exactly who this market suits: the buy-and-hold investor playing a medium-to-long appreciation thesis, not the investor who needs the property to carry itself from month one. A cash-flow buyer will find the numbers don't close at current prices and a 6.85% rate, and the zero cash-flow score confirms that directly. A value-add operator could theoretically manufacture yield through forced appreciation, but the entry price of $244,101 in a county of 19,470 people limits the pool of exit buyers and renters alike. The appreciation buyer who believes the 6.49% price trend has legs, and who can absorb neutral or modestly negative cash flow during the hold, is the investor this market is built for. The affordability index of 78 means the county is not yet priced out, which is a necessary condition for continued price growth in a smaller market.

At $380 per month combined, property taxes and insurance are a line item that meaningfully shapes the cash-flow math here. Iowa's state-average effective property tax rate is 1.53%, which the Tax Foundation flags as high, and that categorization is accurate: on a $244,101 asset, the annual tax bill comes to approximately $3,735, or $311 per month, before insurance. The insurance component adds another $69 per month at a 0.34% rate, bringing the combined monthly carry to $380. That figure deserves its own line on your underwrite because at current financing costs, the tax burden alone is enough to push a borderline deal into negative territory. The caveat here, per the data source, is that 1.53% is a state-average estimate; actual Jackson County or township-level rates may differ, and you should pull the county assessor's effective rate before closing a deal.

The specific risks worth flagging are demographic and concentration. A population of 19,470 is small, and small-county real estate markets are susceptible to single-employer concentration risk and thin liquidity. If rental demand softens, you are fishing in a limited pool of tenants and buyers. The stability score of 50 is consistent with this concern, suggesting the market is neither deeply cyclical nor reliably durable. No vacancy or crime data is provided, so no further characterization of operating risk is warranted beyond what the scores imply.

Compared to its neighbors, Jackson County is the highest-priced market in the group at $244,101, sitting above Boone County ($230,323), O'Brien County ($180,344), Crawford County ($174,920), and Audubon County ($149,990), while Benton County ($261,616) edges it out by roughly $17,500. All neighbors carry an overall score of 74 or 75, nearly identical to Jackson's 75, which means the differentiation is almost entirely in the appreciation score of 90, a figure not visible in the neighbor data but the key reason Jackson ranks 53rd nationally. An investor should choose Jackson over its lower-priced neighbors when the thesis is appreciation capture and price momentum matters more than initial yield. If the goal is entry-level cash flow or lower basis risk in a thin market, Audubon at $149,990 or Crawford at $174,920 offer a meaningfully smaller dollar commitment with comparable overall scores. Choose Jackson when you are conviction-long on the price trend and can underwrite the carry; choose a lower-basis neighbor when yield and capital preservation are the priority.