Story County, IA Housing Market Brief
county · IA · score computed September 2026
What is Story County, IA’s Alpha Score?
The Alpha Score is a composite 0–100 index of market strength, a weighted blend of five dimensions. See the methodology.
Population band 4 of 5 (population 39,232–102,612) · comparable within its band
Where is Story County, IA in its market cycle?
Story County, IA is classified as Declining — cooling, with scores declining over recent months. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.
What’s the forecast for Story County, IA?
Our model forecasts Story County, IA’s home prices to rise about 5.6% over the next 12 months (medium confidence).
This is a separate, forward-looking view — not the cycle classification above. See how past forecasts performed on the track record, or the full local forecast with its confidence range on the market page.
Story County, IA housing market data
| Metric | Value | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Median Sale Price | $312K | ▼ -1.1% |
| Median Days on Market | 17 days | ▲ +13.3% |
| Months of Supply | 2.3 | ▲ +9.5% |
| Homes for Sale | 213 | ▲ +3.9% |
| Homes Sold | 96 | ▼ -4.9% |
| Median Price / Sq Ft | $196 | ▼ -3.5% |
Markets like Story County, IA
Frequently asked questions
Is Story County, IA a buyer's or seller's market?
In the scores computed September 2026, Story County, IA is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 45 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, building, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.
Are home prices rising or falling in Story County, IA?
The median sale price in Story County, IA is $312K, having fallen 1.1% over the past year.
How affordable is Story County, IA?
Story County, IA scores 24 out of 100 on affordability — relatively unaffordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.
What's driving Story County, IA's Alpha Score?
Story County, IA's strongest dimension is Economic Strength (80/100) and its weakest is Affordability (24/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.
Want the live, interactive view of Story County, IA? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.