56Alpha

Polk County, IA Housing Market Brief

county · IA · as of August 2026

Balanced

What is Polk 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.

Price Momentum20%
+4.545
Inventory Health25%
-7.041
Affordability20%
-3.366
Economic Strength20%
87
Rental Yield15%
-6.442

Where is Polk County, IA in its market cycle?

EmergingGrowingMaturePeakingDecliningRecovering

Polk County, IA is classified as Growing strengthening, with scores rising over recent months. This is a classification of recent (1–12 month) momentum, not a price forecast.

What’s the forecast for Polk County, IA?

Our model forecasts Polk County, IA’s home prices to rise about 5.8% over the next 12 months (high 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.

Polk County, IA housing market data

MetricValueYoY
Median Sale Price$309K▲ +7.7%
Median Days on Market27 days0%
Months of Supply3.0▲ +3.5%
Homes for Sale2,252▲ +12.2%
Homes Sold773▲ +6.8%
Median Price / Sq Ft$216▲ +4.8%

How has Polk County, IA’s Alpha Score moved?

Now: 56
12-period trend
Median sale price · 12 mo

Markets like Polk County, IA

Frequently asked questions

Is Polk County, IA a buyer's or seller's market?

As of August 2026, Polk County, IA is classified as a Balanced Market, based on its Alpha Score of 56 out of 100. The classification reflects current price, inventory, affordability, economic, and rental-yield conditions.

Are home prices rising or falling in Polk County, IA?

The median sale price in Polk County, IA is $309K, having risen 7.7% over the past year.

How affordable is Polk County, IA?

Polk County, IA scores 66 out of 100 on affordability — relatively affordable relative to local incomes and prevailing mortgage rates compared with other counties.

What's driving Polk County, IA's Alpha Score?

Polk County, IA's strongest dimension is Economic Strength (87/100) and its weakest is Inventory Health (41/100). The Alpha Score is a weighted blend of all five dimensions.

Want the live, interactive view of Polk County, IA? Open the full market dashboard — charts, ZIP-level drill-down, and watchlist tracking. Explore the map or read the methodology.